THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


I 


book  is  DUE 


6 


SOUTHERN  BRANCH, 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 

LIBRARY, 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIF. 


Intimate  Golf  Talks 


f 


The  back  swing  for  an  explosion  shot  out  of  a  bunker. 


Intimate 
Golf  Talks 


By 

John  Duncan  Dunn 

Los  Angeles  Country  Club 

with 

Elon  Jessup 

Associate  Editor  of  Outing 

45520 


With  82  Illustrations 


G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  and  London 
Gbe   fmicfeerbocfter    press 


COPYRIGHT,  1920 

BY 
G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 


GV 

3(o  5 

ID  oiK  \ 


ALBERT    BRITT 
Editor  of  Outing 


>*5*O 


FOREWORD 


HOW  THIS  BOOK  CAME  TO  BE  WRITTEN 


WHEN  John  Duncan  Dunn  was  the  head  of 
a  large  indoor  golf  school  in  New  York  it 
happened  to  be  my  privilege  as  Associate 
Editor  of  Outing  to  interview  him  upon  some 
small  matter  relating  to  the  game.  I  learned 
what  I  wished  to  know  and  left  with  the  usual 
reportorial  haste.  It  seemed  but  a  passing 
interview.  But  fortunately  I  had  remained 
long  enough  to  watch  the  way  of  Mr.  Dunn 
with  one  of  his  pupils.  It  was  golf  instruction 
of  a  distinctly  different  sort  from  what  I  had 
ever  come  across  before.  A  few  days  later 
upon  mulling  the  matter  over  I  went  back 
to  see  him  again. 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  these  golf  talks 
by  Mr.  Dunn.  My  interest  was  twofold:  to 

5 


FOREWORD 

improve  my  own  mediocre  game  and  at  the 
same  time  see  that  the  instructor's  valuable 
suggestions  became  printed  words.  These 
talks  are  something  more  than  interviews. 
They  are  the  direct  results  of  actual  situations. 
I  was  the  average  golf  duffer  burdened  with 
more  than  an  average  number  of  golfing  faults 
of  years'  standing.  The  ghost  of  this  same 
duffer,  club  in  hand,  stalks  through  the  follow- 
ing pages.  Mr.  Dunn's  words  in  great  part 
are  inspired  by  the  sight  of  this  actual  exhibit 
out  of  which  he  is  attempting  to  make  a  real 
golfer. 

During  the  course  of  my  golf  lesson  inter- 
views with  Mr.  Dunn,  both  indoors  and  out,  I 
often  thought  of  a  favourite  professor  of  my 
college  days.  We  students  had  thoroughly 
learned  our  subject  under  this  professor.  We 
couldn't  help  ourselves.  He  showed  us  that 
seemingly  difficult  things  are  usually  amaz- 
ingly simple;  he  had  the  knack  of  sorting  out 
important  and  relatively  unimportant  matters 
and  assigning  each  to  its  respective  groove. 
Very  often  he  would  repeat  a  thing  which 

6 


FOREWORD 

another  teacher  under  like  conditions  would 
dismiss  as  an  accomplished  fact.  He  stuck  to 
a  subject  until  we  knew  it  thoroughly. 

Philosophy  4  and  the  game  of  golf  may  or 
may  not  have  much  in  common,  but  I  have 
found  that  in  both  cases  the  methods  of  teach- 
ing can  be  the  same.  Mr.  Dunn's  common 
sense  attitude  greatly  resembles  the  favourite 
professor's.  He  makes  golf  seem  amazingly 
simple;  he  clearly  shows  you  the  difference 
between  an  essential  and  a  non-essential. 
There  may  be  golfers  who  can  make  a  better 
score  on  the  links  than  John  Duncan  Dunn, 
but  I  am  thoroughly  convinced  there  is  not  a 
man  living  who  knows  more  about  golf  and 
how  to  teach  it. 

ELON  JESSUF. 


CONTENTS 

TALK  PAGE 

—   I. — PICKING  THE  RIGHT  CLUBS        .         .  17 

w  II. — LEARNING  THE  GOLF  SCALE       .         .  31 

"  III.— THE  GOLF  GRIP        ....  47 

v  IV.— THE  GOLF  STANCE    ....  65 

%  V. — THE  GOLF  ADDRESS  75 

v  VI. — SOME  GOLF  FAULTS  ....  87 

v    VII. — GETTING  THE  KNACK  OF  THE  SWING     .  103 

VVIII. — STICK  TO  THE  MINOR  SHOTS      .  115 

-  IX. — FROM     THREE-QUARTERS     TO     FULL 

SWING  ......  131 

N  X. — THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  BALANCE            .  143 

v  XI. — TAKE  CARE  OF  YOUR  HANDS     .  155 

XXII. — TOPPING  THE  BALL   .      '  .         .         .  167 

VXIII. — OVERCOMING  FAULTS          .         .         .  179 

^XIV. — KEEPING  THE  MUSCLES  IN  HARMONY  193 

XV. — SLICING  AND  HOOKING    "  .         .         .  205 

XVI. — METHODS  OF  CURING  FAULTS    .  219 

XVII. — THIS  BRINGS  us  TO  PUTTING     .         .  229 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIG.  i. — A  brassie  and  driver  that  fight  with  each  other. 
One  is  small-headed,  the  other  large-headed, 
and  the  lies  are  different.  Don't  allow  them  in 
the  same  bag  ......  22 

FIG.  2. — A  complete  set  of  clubs.  Left  to  right:  driver, 
brassie,  spoon,  driving  iron,  midiron,  mashie, 
niblick,  putter  .  .  .  ...  .25 

FIG.  3. — The  clubs  that  will  start  you  upon  your  golfing 
career.  Unless  you  wish  to  look  and  feel  real 
jaunty,  these  are  plenty.  Left  to  right:  spoon, 
midiron,  mashie,  putter  .  .  .  .26 

FIG.  4. — In  case  you  are  instinctively  susceptible  to  bal- 
ance, this  test  will  tell  you  some  of  the  secrets 
of  club  balance  .  .  .  .  .  .27 

FIG.  5. — One  of  these  clubs  is  yours — but  only  one.  The 
three  lies  of  wooden  clubs;  upright,  medium, 
and  flat  .......  28 

FIG.  6. — A  brassie  and  driver  that  thoroughly  agree  with 
each  other.  Same  length  shaft,  same  sized 
head  ........  29 

FIG.  7. — First  position  in  the  pivot  exercise.  This  corre- 
sponds to  the  golf  address  ....  35 

FIG.    8. — Second  position  in  the  pivot  exercise.     The  top  of 

the  swing    .......        37 

FIG.    9. — Third  position  in  the  pivot  exercise.     Finish  of 

the  swing    .......       39 

FIG.  10. — First  movement  in  the  balance  exercise       .          .       41 

II 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

FIG.  ii. — Second  movement  in  the  balance  exercise .          .       43 
FIG.  12. — Third  movement  in  the  balance  exercise    .          .       45 

FIG.  13. — The  V  or  natural  grip.  Just  as  if  you  were  grasp- 
ing a  baseball  bat  .  .  .  .  5 1 

FIG.  14. — The  overlapping  or  Vardon  grip.  Note  little 
finger  of  right  hand  overlapping  forefinger  of 
left 52 

FIG.  15. — Correct  lie  of  club  across  fingers.     Remember 

that  club  head  is  resting  on  ground         .          .       57 

FIG.  1 6. — The  club  should  lie  diagonally  across  fingers  of 

left  hand,  not  straight  across         ...       58 

FIG.  17. — One  reason  why  golf  comes  easy  for  tennis  players. 
The  back-hand  tennis  stroke  and  back  swing 
in  golf  have  much  in  common  •  •  •  59 

FIG.  1 8. — Fingers  of  the  left  hand  should  be  well  hidden     .       60 
FIG.  19. — Addressing  the  ball  with  the  natural  grip  .       62 

FIG.  20. — The  square  stance.     The  line  of  the  toes  is  parallel 

with  the  flight  of  the  ball      ....       70 

FIG.  21. — The  open  stance.     In  this  case  the  right  foot  is 

advanced  slightly  before  the  left    ...          .72 

FIG.  22. — Feet  too  close  together.     Result :  topped  ball       .       79 
FIG.  23. — Feet  too  wide  apart.     Result :  hitting  the  ground .       8 1 

FIG.  24. — Gauging  correct  distance  from  ball.  The  mini- 
mum and  not  the  playing  position  ...  82 

FIG.  25. — Gauging  correct  distance  from  ball.  The  maxi- 
mum distance  but  not  to  be  played  .  .  83 

FIG.  26. — Gauging  correct  distance  from  ball.  Half-way 
between  minimum  and  maximum.  The  correct 
playing  position  ......  84 

FIG.  27. — Incorrect:  rolling  the  forearms  too  soon      .          .       91 

12 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

FIG.  28. — Rolling  the  forearms  correctly  ...       92 

FIG.  29. — It  is  a  mistake  to  hold  left  arm  doubled  up  and 

hands  close  to  head  as  above  •          •          •       93 

FIG.  30. — Left  arm  position  shown  above  is  too  straight  and 

rigid -94 

FIG.  31. — Correct  position  of  the  left  arm.     It  should  be 

neither  too  straight  nor  too  much  bent  .          .       97 

FIG.  32. — Right  arm  is  way  up  too  far  and  body  is  off  balance      99 

FIG.  33. — The  club  as  a  pendulum.  One  of  the  first  prin- 
ciples of  how  a  golf  ball  is  swept  off  the  tee  .  107 

FIG.  34. — Getting  the  knack  of  the  swing  without  hitting 

the  ball 110 

FIG.  35. — Making  the  correct  way  a  habit:  the  ""shaving 

the  mat "  exercise         .          .          .          .          .112 

FIG.  36. — In  this  case  the  toe  of  the  club  is  turned  too  much 

and  the  right  elbow  is  raised  up  too  far     .          .      119 

FIG.  37. — Two  common  faults  are  shown  here.  Left  arm  is 
doubled  up  and  head  of  the  club  is  not  turned 
enough  .  .  .  .  .  .  .121 

FIG.  38. — Driving  off  in  an  indoor  golf  school.     A  door  mat 

serves  as  an  excellent  tee       .          .          .          .123 

FIG.  39. — The  putting  green  of  an  indoor  golf  school  .          .124 

FIG.  40. — Where  a  beginner  will  learn  golf  more  quickly 
than  on  the  links.  A  practice  cage  of  cheap 
and  simple  construction  .  .  .  .125 

FIG.  41. — Wrong.  When  only  a  half  a  swing  is  wanted, 
there  is  a  common  tendency  to  swing  back  too 
far  ........  126 

FIG.  42. — Correct:  How  a  half  swing  should  look  at  the  top .      128 
FIG.  43. — Top  of  the  three-quarter  swing  .          .          .          .     135 

13 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

FIG.  44. — Finish  of  the  three-quarter  swing      .         .         .136 

FIG.  45. — Second  position  in  the  mallet  exercise.     Imagine 

you  are  about  to  drive  a  peg  into  the  ground     .      138 

FIG.  46. — An  instantaneous  snapshot  showing  correct  posi- 
tion at  top  of  the  swing  .  .  .  139 

FIG.  47. — The  correct  finish  of  a  full  iron  shot  .          .          .      140 

FIG.  48. — Wrong.     Head  has  moved  off  centre  and  thrown 

whole  body  out  of  balance    .         .         .         .146 

FIG.  49. — Correct.  Head  is  dead  centre  as  at  address  and 

in  perfect  balance  .  .  .  .  .148 

i 

FIG.  50. — Turning  the  heel  too  far  at  top  of  swing.  This 

throws  one  off  balance  .  .  .  .149 

FIG.  51. — The  correct  distance  to  turn  heel  at  top  of  swing.     151 

FIG.  52. — It  is  wholly  natural  golf  when  all  muscles  of  the 
body  from  toes  to  eyes  move  together  in  one 
direction  .......  161 

FIG.  53. — The  grip  of  this  club  shaft  is  of  generous  diameter. 
One  is  not  tempted  to  grip  hard  in  order  to  get  a 
purchase  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  164 

FIG.  54. — An  old  cure  for  looking  up  too  soon;  keeping  eyes 
fixed  on  spot  from  which  ball  has  flown.  Al- 
though unnatural,  there  is  no  harm  in  trying  it 
now  and  then  but  don't  allow  it  to  become  a 
habit  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  171 

FIG.  55. — A  cure  for  topping.  Crumple  up  a  piece  of  paper 
and  lay  it  behind  the  ball.  Drive  the  paper. 
You  will  hit  the  ball  fair  and  square  .  1 73 

FIG.  56. — Sometime  examine  the  dotted  round  stamp  made 
by  the  concussion  of  the  ball.  It  is  nearly  as 
large  as  a  half-dollar  piece.  See  that  your  club 
head  is  large  enough  to  accommodate  it  .  .  1 74 

FIG.  57. — The  wrong  way  to  finish  the  swing.     Shoulders 

should  be  on  same  plane  from  address  to  finish .      175 

14 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

FIG.  58. — The  address  of  a  mashie  shot.     Note  height  of 

shoulder  above,  and  in  the  photo  which  follows     1 76 

FIG.  59. — Finish    of   a    mashie    shot.     Shoulder    is    same 

height  as  at  address      .          .          .          .  177 

FIG.  60. — A  cure  for  raising  up.  If  the  back  swing  is  cor- 
rect, the  space  between  head  and  horizontal 
club  will  remain  as  shown  in  address  .  .182 

FIG.  61. — See  preceding  photo.  The  above  is  what  often 
happens.  The  golfer  has  raised  up  and  knows 
it  when  head  meets  club  .  .  .  .  1 83 

FIG.  62. — The  body  should  pivot  on  a  dead  centre  through- 
out the  entire  swing.  Club  held  vertically  in 
photo  represents  centre  line  at  address.  The 
golfer  has  swayed  to  the  right  and  is  off  balance  1 85 

FIG.  63. — In  this  case  the  golfer  has  pivoted  on  a  dead  centre 

as  noted  by  position  of  club  to  the  rear     .          .186 

FIG.  64. — If  heeling  the  ball  is  your  fault,  try  addressing  it 

with  the  toe  of  the  club         .          .       *  .          .      1 89 

FIG.  65. — Turning  the  club  head  is  a  common  way  to  spoil 
a  mashie  shot.  Club  shown  at  the  right  has  a 
turned  face ;  that  to  the  left  is  correct  .  .190 

FIG.  66. — Showing  a  number  of  golfing  faults.  Several 
different  sets  of  muscles  in  the  body  are  in  ac- 
tive conflict  with  each  other  .  .  .  .199 

FIG.  67. — A  demonstration  of  the  common  fault  of  mis- 
timing. The  hub  and  rim  of  the  wheel  fail  to 
travel  together  .  .  .  .  .  .201 

FIG.  68. — Correct  timing.  The  hub  and  rim  spin  in  har- 
mony ........  202 

FIG.  69. — A  grip  that  will  slice  the  ball  ....     208 

FIG.  70. — A  grip  that  will  hook  the  ball  ....     209 

FIG.  71. — The  slicer's  left-hand  grip  ....     210 

FIG.  72. — The  puller's  left-hand  grip  .          .          .          .211 

15 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

FIG.  73. — Finish  of  a  slice       .          .  .          .          .213 

FIG.  74. — Finish  of  a  hook      .          .          .          .          .          .214 

FIG.  75. — The  way  to  finish  without  slicing  or  hooking         .     216 

FIG.  76. — A  cure  for  heeling.     Drive  the  near  ball  without 

disturbing  the  other      .....      223 

FIG.  77. — Keeping  down  the  elbow  by  the  aid  of  a  handker- 
chief in  the  armpit  .....  225 

FIG.  78. — Hit  both  balls  on  the  same  shot.     This  will  make 

you  follow  through       .          .          .          .          .227 

FIG.  79. — Good  putting  practice.     Lay  about  a  half  dozen 

balls  around  the  cup     .....      233 

FIG.  80. — Military  stance.  Heels  together,  legs  straight, 
toes  parallel  with  line  of  hole,  and  head  directly 
over  ball  .......  235 

FIG.  81. — Orthodox  stance.  Right  foot  is  advanced,  right 
shoulder  depressed  and  greater  part  of  body 
weight  is  on  the  right  leg  ....  237 

FIG.  82. — Crouching  stance.  Much  like  orthodox  stance, 
except  that  right  arm  rests  on  leg  and  club  is 
held  short  .......  239 


16 


TALK  I 
PICKING  THE  RIGHT  CLUBS 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 


TALK   I 

PICKING    THE    RIGHT    CLUBS 

HAVE  you  ever  seen  a  carpenter  buy  a  new 
plane?  Ever  noticed  how  finicky  he  is  about 
it?  He  balances  and  sights  it  for  a  long  time 
before  he  makes  up  his  mind  that  it  is  all  right ; 
and  then  perhaps  he  suddenly  decides  that  it 
won't  do.  The  plane  may  be  a  perfect  piece 
of  workmanship,  but  it  has  just  fallen  short 
of  the  final  test  in  the  hands  of  the  good  work- 
man. It  has  failed  to  strike  a  certain  respon- 
sive chord  in  his  make-up.  With  this  last 
word  of  co-operation  between  tool  and  man 
lacking,  the  carpenter  knows  that  with  this 

19 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

particular  plane  he  will  never  be  able  to  turn 
out  the  best  work  of  which  he  is  capable. 

"Where's  the  connection  between  carpenters1 
tools  and  golf  clubs?11  queried  the  interviewing 
golf  pupil. 

Just  this:  exactly  the  same  lesson  of  good 
workmanship  can  be  applied  to  the  selection  of 
golf  clubs.  Consider  well  the  tools  of  the 
game.  Do  not  underestimate  the  importance 
of  having  the  right  clubs  in  your  golf  bag. 
Even  the  best  player  cannot  put  up  the  best 
game  of  which  he  is  capable  unless  his  clubs 
suit  him  to  a  T;  although  of  course  the  clubs 
themselves  may  be  perfect  and  another  man 
will  make  championship  play  with  them.  And 
if  a  good  player  is  set  off  his  base  by  the  wrong 
clubs,  you  can  imagine  the  havoc  they  work 
with  the  beginner's  game. 

This  matter  of  suitable  clubs  is  something 
about  which  most  golfers  go  wrong  at  one  time 
or  other.  The  unfortunate  part  of  it  is  that 
most  of  the  new  men  at  the  game  start  wrong, 
and  then  stay  wrong.  Perhaps  after  you  have 
learned  to  play  the  game  just  passably  well 

20 


PICKING  THE  RIGHT  CLUBS 

with  entirely  unsuitable  clubs,  some  kind  friend 
politely  asks  if  the  shaft  of  your  midiron  isn't  a 
trifle  long  for  a  man  of  your  medium  height; 
with  the  result  that  you  switch  to  a  club  that 
you  should  have  been  playing  with  right  along. 
But  does  your  game  improve?  Not  much. 
It  probably  goes  from  bad  to  worse,  the  reason 
being  that  you  have  learned  with  the  wrong 
club,  become  accustomed  to  it,  and  now  can't 
play  with  the  right  one. 

This  talk  about  playing  with  the  wrong  clubs 
cheered  the  listener  up  quite  a  bit.  It  was  some- 
thing tangible  upon  which  he  could  place  the 
blame  for  a  distinctly  mediocre  game. 

The  surest  word  of  advice  I  can  give  a 
beginner  is  to  start  with  the  right  clubs.  This 
eliminates  one  big  obstacle  at  one  fell  swoop. 
Even  though  the  game  comes  a  little  slowly 
he  knows  at  any  rate  that  his  clubs  are  right 
and  he  can  devote  his  time  to  other  worries. 
For  a  perfect  jumble  of  misfits  I  commend  you 
to  the  golf  bag  of  almost  any  beginner.  Yes, 
and  old  timers  at  the  game,  too. 

You  will  often  find  a  large-headed  brassie  of 
21 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

flat  lie  in  the  same  bag  with  a  small-headed 
driver  of  medium  lie.     They  haven't  any  more 


FIG.  i 

A  brassie  and  driver  that  fight  with  each 

other.     One     is     small-headed,     the     other 

large-headed,    and    the    lies    are    different. 

Don't  allow  them  in  the  same  bag 


business  being  together  than  a  cricket  bat  in 
a  baseball  outfit.  Sometimes  the  clubs  in  a 
golf  bag  fairly  fight  with  one  another  (Fig.  i). 

22 


PICKING  THE  RIGHT  CLUBS 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  a  set  of  golf  clubs  should 
be  one  harmonious  family.  They  should  all 
have  something  in  common  and  not  be  of  en- 
tirely different  natures.  I  even  recommend 
that  all  the  iron  clubs  in  a  bag  be  the  product 
of  one  manufacturer  for  then  you  are  fairly 
sure  of  uniformity  of  construction. 

Go  through  your  bag  on  the  lookout  for  a 
club  that  is  the  least  bit  out  of  kilter  with  the 
rest  of  your  club  family,  a  discordant  note. 
Throw  out  any  disturber  of  the  family  concert, 
even  though  you  may  look  upon  the  discordant 
one  as  a  favourite  child. 

This  was  too  much.  Throw  away  a  favourite 
club  indeed!  Where  was  the  man's  heart? 
And  come  to  think  of  it,  there  was  a  certain 
mashie  in  the  interviewer's  bag  that  didn't  just 
seem  to  belong. 

I  say  get  rid  of  the  discordant  club,  for  it  is 
breaking  the  rhythm.  Likely  enough  it  is 
throwing  you  off  your  game. 

Just  to  show  how  beginners  get  started  on 
the  wrong  track,  let  me  mention  the  case  of  a 
man  who  came  to  me  to  take  lessons  not  long 

23 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

ago.  After  deciding  to  learn  the  game,  this 
busy  business  man  sent  his  wife  to  a  sporting 
goods  store  with  a  carte  blanche  order  for  a  set 
of  clubs.  She  did  the  selecting.  And  as  he 
was  a  six  footer  and  she  a  mite  of  a  woman, 
you  can  well  imagine  the  incongruous  result. 

In  contrast  to  this,  I  remember  another  man 
who  took  just  one  lesson  with  me.  He  didn't 
touch  the  ball  once,  but  instead  spent  the 
whole  time  selecting  suitable  clubs.  He  was 
a  wise  man. 

Sometimes,  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  thing 
for  a  man  to  learn  golf  without  any  clubs  at 
all — if  such  a  thing  were  possible.  Certainly 
his  judgment  after  he  has  mastered  the  golf 
swing  is  vastly  different  from  what  it  was  be- 
fore. Once  he  has  decided  to  take  up  golf, 
he  should  have  someone  who  knows  the 
game  thoroughly  pick  out  his  set  for  him 
(Fig.  2). 

Failing  this,  he  would  do  well  to  confine  his 
first  selection  to  four  clubs:  spoon,  midiron, 
mashie,  and  putter  (Fig.  3).  These  four  will 
carry  him  through  the  first  season  very  nicely. 

24 


PICKING  THE  RIGHT  CLUBS 

The  following  season  he  will  be  able  to  tackle 
the  rest  of  the  set  more  intelligently. 

At  this  point  the  pupil  confessed  to  a  stupen- 


FIG.  2 

A  complete  set  of  clubs.     Left  to  right : 

Driver,  brassie,   spoon,   driving   iron, 

midiron,  mashie,  niblick,  putter 


dous  amount  of  ignorance  as  to  just  how  he  would 
go  about  it  to  select  a  suitable  set  of  clubs. 

First,  there  is  the  question  of  balance. 
Everybody  wants  a  well  balanced  club,  but 
not  everybody  recognizes  one.  Some  people 

25 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

are  what  is  known  as  "susceptible  to  balance." 
They  can  pick  up  a  golf  club  and  even  though 
they  have  never  had  one  in  their  hands  before, 


FIG.  3 

The  clubs  that  will  start  you  upon 
your  golfing  career.  Unless  you 
wish  to  look  and  feel  real  jaunty, 
these  are  plenty.  Left  to  right: 
spoon,  midiron,  mashie,  putter 

they  instinctively  know  that  it  is  well  balanced. 
A  poorly  balanced  club  will  be  to  them  as  a 
discord  is  to  an  accomplished  singer.  No 
general  rule  can  be  laid  down  as  to  how  to 
pick  out  good  balance,  although  nearly  any- 

26 


PICKING  THE  RIGHT  CLUBS 

body  can  instinctively  tell  extreme  instances  of 
off-balance  (Fig.  4). 

Have  you  ever  thought  of  your  height  in 


FIG.  4 

In  case  you  are  instinctively  susceptible  to 

balance,  this  test  will  tell  you  some  of  the 

secrets  of  club  balance 


exact  terms  of  feet  and  inches?  This  is  an 
important  item  in  selecting  a  club.  There 
are  three  different  lies  in  clubs;  flat,  medium, 

27 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

and  upright.     All  the  clubs  in  your  bag  should 
be  confined  to  just  one  of  these  lies.     The  flat 


FIG.  5 

One  of  these  clubs  is  yours — but  only  one. 

The    three    lies    of  wooden  clubs;  upright, 

medium,  and  flat 

is  for  people  below  five  feet  five  inches:  the 
medium,  from  there  up  to  five  feet  ten  inches; 
the  upright,  for  still  taller  golfers  (Fig.  5). 

28 


PICKING  THE  RIGHT  CLUBS 

You  can  classify  the  clubs'  three  degrees  of 
whippiness  in  much  the  same  way.  These  are 
stiff,  medium,  and  springy.  If  you  have 


FIG.  6 

A   brassie  and  driver 

that  thoroughly  agree 

with  each  other.  Same 

length  shaft,  same 

sized  head 

lived  a  rigorous  outdoor  life  and  are  something 
of  a  hercules,  the  stiff  club  is  the  one  for  you. 
If  you  are  only  fairly  strong,  you  had  better 
stick  to  the  medium.  If  something  below 
fairly  strong,  use  the  springy. 

29 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

This  same  scale  applies  to  the  three  weights 
in  a  club — heavy,  medium,  and  light.  The 
standard  clubs  are  those  of  medium  lie,  length, 
and  weight. 

Finally,  a  word  about  the  hitting  surface  of 
the  club  head.  Be  sure  that  this  is  fairly  large. 
The  importance  of  this  is  rather  generally 
overlooked.  When  you  drive  a  ball,  how  big  a 
surface  do  you  suppose  the  ball  covers  on  the 
club  head  surface  at  the  moment  of  impact? 

"Oh,  about  as  large  as  your  small  finger  nail" 
guessed  the  interviewer.  Whereupon  Dunn  let 
drive  a  mashie  shot  and  then  held  up  as  proof  the 
dotted  round  stamp  of  the  ball  which  had 
remained  on  the  blade.  It  was  larger  than  a 
twenty-five  cent  piece  and  just  a  trifle  smaller 
than  a  half  dollar. 

That's  what  the  concussion  of  the  ball  does. 
The  head  of  your  club  should  be  large  enough 
to  take  all  that  in,  with  something  to  spare. 
With  half  the  ball  on  the  head  and  half  off 
you  are  not  getting  the  distance  to  which  you 
are  entitled. 


TALK  II 
LEARNING  THE  GOLF  SCALE 


TALK   II 

LEARNING  THE   GOLF  SCALE 

You  may  remember  that  when  we  were 
talking  about  selecting  the  right  golf  clubs  I 
said  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  a  beginner 
could  learn  the  game  without  any  clubs  at  all. 
Sounds  physically  impossible,  doesn't  it? 
Well,  as  a  matter  of  fact  you  can  travel  a  long 
way  toward  the  goal  of  successful  golf  without 
ever  laying  hands  on  a  club. 

This  was  a  poser.  Evidently  Dunn  was 
about  to  spring  something  brand  new  in  golf. 
It  sounded  interesting. 

For  some  unexplainable  reason,  most  begin- 
ners at  golf  start  in  by  cramming  their  heads 
full  of  technicalities  that  are  all  Greek  to  them. 
They  foolishly  think  that  this  is  the  way  to 
learn  golf.  And  the  harder  they  cram,  the  less 
progress  they  make. 

3  33 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

The  thing  with  which  the  beginner  should 
really  start  is  the  golf  scale.  He  should  at 
first  give  all  his  thought  to  this,  just  as  the 
aspiring  singer  confines  his  voice  to  the  C  D  E 
F  G  of  music.  You  can  practise  this  golf  scale 
without  a  club  in  your  hand  or  moving  from 
where  you  are  standing.  About  the  only 
necessary  equipment  is  perseverance. 

I  see  that  you  expect  to  hear  of  some  great 
mystery.  Nothing  like  it;  just  a  few  simple 
exercises  that  any  one  can  practise  when  he 
jumps  out  of  bed  in  the  morning.  Fifteen 
minutes  a  day  of  conscientious  work  will  make 
you  a  very  fair  golfer  before  you  have  ever 
stepped  upon  a  links. 

Frankly,  morning  exercises  jailed  to  appeal, 
and  the  interviewer  advised  Dunn  accordingly. 
Years  be j ore  he  had  for  a  time  diligently  practised 
some  sort  of  calisthenics.  But  there  had  come  a 
morning  when  it  had  all  seemed  so  confoundedly 
futile.  Result — no  more  exercises. 

You  are  quite  right.  An  incentive  is  what 
is  needed.  Any  kind  of  exercises  aren't  much 
value  without  one.  But  in  the  particular 

34 


FIG.  7 

First  position  in  the  pivot  exercise.     This  cor- 
responds to  the  golf  address 


35 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

exercises  I  am  going  to  tell  you  about,  there  is 
a  perfectly  bona  fide  incentive;  and  that  is, 
good  golf.  Incidentally,  and  leaving  golf  out 
of  it  entirely,  these  exercises  will  do  any  one  a 
world  of  good  physically — but  you  can  forget 
about  that,  if  it  worries  you.  Just  remember, 
good  golf ;  that  is  incentive  enough  for  any  one 
who  wants  to  learn  the  game. 

Now  to  get  down  to  brass  tacks.  Stand 
with  your  legs  spread  apart — not  too  wide,  just 
comfortably;  remember  you  are  not  a  contor- 
tionist. Have  your  toes  in  line  and  then  lay  a 
golf  club  on  the  floor  in  front  of  you,  at  right 
angles  to  this  line.  You  are  standing  directly 
over  the  grip;  the  club  head  is  away.  If  you 
haven't  acquired  a  golf  club  yet,  a  walking 
stick  or  umbrella  will  answer  the  purpose  as 
well  (Fig.  7). 

You  are  set  for  your  exercise.  First  of  all, 
stare  the  club  head  out  of  countenance  and 
continue  to  do  so  through  all  that  happens 
from  then  on.  Place  your  hands  on  your  hips 
and  bend  slightly  forward.  Keep  the  stomach 
well  in,  and  without  raising  up  from  the  bent 

36 


Second  position  in  the  pivot  exercise.     The  top 
of  the  swing 


37 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

position,  pivot  around  to  the  right  until  the 
left  hip  and  elbow  are  in  line  with  the  club 
(Fig.  8). 

While  doing  this  pivot  movement,  don't 
let  the  body  carry  your  head  around  to  the 
right  with  it.  Keep  your  head  facing  forward 
and  perfectly  rigid.  And  keep  your  eyes 
glued  on  the  club  head.  Also,  as  you  swing 
around,  the  left  knee  should  bend  in  a  trifle  to 
the  right,  and  toward  the  end  of  the  swing  the 
right  knee  becomes  almost  rigid. 

Now  for  the  final  movement  in  this  exercise. 
From  your  wound-up  position,  swing  the  body 
completely  around  to  the  left  so  that  you 
finish  with  the  right  hip  and  elbow  on  line  with 
the  club  (Fig.  9).  And  you  can  speed  this 
final  swing  up  as  fast  as  you  wish.  During  its 
course  the  right  knee  bends  in  a  little  to  the 
left  while  the  left  knee  in  turn  becomes  almost 
rigid.  Remember  at  all  times  of  the  proceed- 
ing to  keep  the  stomach  in,  eyes  on  the  ball, 
body  slightly  bent,  and  head  in  the  same  rigid 
position. 

The  victim,  somewhat  puzzled,  wanted  to  know 
38 


FIG.  9 

Third  position  in  the  pivot  exercise.     Finish  of 
the  swing 


39 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

the  precise  reasons  for  all  that  had  just  happened. 
He  couldn't  recall  anything  of  the  kind  in  the 
little  paper-covered  morning  exercise  books  of 
former  years. 

In  bending  over  slightly  and  keeping  the 
stomach  in  you  bring  into  play  the  muscles 
used  in  the  golf  stroke.  And  likely  enough 
they  are  muscles  that  haven't  been  exercised 
for  a  blue  moon ;  no  need  for  so  many  fat  men 
in  the  world  if  these  stomach  muscles  were 
exercised  more.  As  for  keeping  your  eye  on 
the  club  head,  this  is  the  best  possible  training 
for  keeping  your  eye  on  the  ball. 

Your  first  position  in  the  e.xercise  is  the  golf 
address;  the  second  the  top  of  the  swing  and 
the  third  the  finish.  The  hand  on  the  hip, 
bringing  the  elbow  on  line  with  the  club  on 
the  floor,  marks  the  distance  one  should  pivot 
around  in  the  golf  swing. 

Go  through  these  clubless  swings  about  ten 
times  without  letting  up.  Then  gradui'ly 
increase  the  count  and  before  you  know  it  you 
will  be  in  prime  shape  for  the  game  itself. 
Doesn't  this  sound  like  good  sense? 

40 


FIG.  10 

First  movement  in  the  balance  exercise 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

The  pupil  agreed.  After  some  minutes  of 
the  prescribed  exercise  it  suddenly  dawned  upon 
him  that  the  body  played  a  greater  part  in  the  golf 
swing  than  he  had  ever  before  realized. 

You  can't  rely  upon  your  arms  and  hands  to 
do  all  the  work  in  golf.  They  are  only  a  small 
part  of  the  real  propelling  power.  It's  getting 
the  body  muscles  into  it  that  counts;  the 
same  solid  muscles  of  the  back,  thighs,  and 
shoulders  that  make  the  oarsman  and  boxer. 

Speaking  of  boxing,  here's  another  valuable 
exercise.  We'll  do  a  little  shadow  fighting. 
Take  the  same  position  as  before,  but  hold 
your  right  arm  out  in  front  of  you  with  the 
fist  loosely  clenched. 

Pivot  the  body  around  to  the  right  until  the 
outstretched  moving  arm  is  behind.  Then 
swing  the  arm  around  furiously  to  the  first 
position — just  as  if  you  were  in  a  real  boxing 
match.  Somewhere  between  the  start  of  the 
forward  swing  and  the  first  position,  the  fist 
instinctively  doubles  up  and  just  the  muscles 
you  need  to  wipe  up  your  man  get  into  play. 
It's  the  same  way  when  you  hit  a  golf  ball. 

42 


FIG.  ii 

Second  movement  in  the  balance  exercise 


43 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

The  interviewing  pupil  had  knocked  out  a 
whole  row  of  imaginary  adversaries  before  Dunn 
called  a  halt  to  take  up  the  matter  of  balance  in  golf. 

Now  for  a  balance  exercise.  Assume  the 
same  bent  position  as  before.  Take  a  golf 
club  or  walking  stick  and  hold  one  end  between 
thumb  and  forefinger  against  your  forehead. 
See  that  the  lower  end,  which  is  the  club  head, 
hangs  over  a  golf  ball  or  some  mark  on  the 
floor  (Fig.  10).  Pivot  to  the  right  (Fig.  n) 
and  then  around  to  the  left  (Fig.  12).  And 
keep  on  going  back  and  forth.  Only  be  sure 
that  the  club  doesn't  move  while  you  are 
doing  it. 

Although  the  interviewer  tried  faithfully 
enough,  the  club  moved  like  a  sapling  in  a  high 
wind. 

Not  so  easy  as  it  looks,  is  it?  But  body 
balance  is  absolutely  essential  to  good  golf. 
Any  sway  in  the  club  in  that  exercise  is  proof 
that  your  body  is  off  balance.  Do  everything 
a  good  golfer  does  in  a  swing  and  it  won't 
sway.  In  short,  keep  your  head  still,  stomach 
in,  body  slightly  bent,  and  eye  on  the  ball. 

44 


FIG.  12 

Third  movement  in  the  balance  exercise 


45 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

The  direction  of  the  sway  of  the  club  in  this 
exercise  is  a  telltale  of  your  particular  fault. 
If  it  moves  away  and  to  the  right,  you  may 
know  that  your  stomach  is  out.  In  case  you 
raise  your  body,  the  club  will  swing  toward 
you. 

Practise  the  three  exercises  I  have  men- 
tioned. They'll  keep  you  busy  for  some  time. 
I'll  give  you  more  later  on. 


46 


TALK  III 
THE  GOLF  GRIP 


47 


TALK   III 

THE   GOLF    GRIP 

CERTAIN  movements  in  the  game  of  golf  are 
fundamental.  There  is  not  any  middle  course 
about  these — a  thing  is  either  right  or  it  is 
wrong.  There  are  other  parts  of  the  game 
however  in  which  it  doesn't  make  a  great  deal 
of  difference  how  you  go  about  it ;  provided  of 
course  that  the  underlying  principle  of  the 
particular  movement  is  sound.  In  other 
words,  the  game  may  be  pretty  well  divided 
into  essentials  and  non-essentials.  Among 
the  non-essentials  is  the  golf  grip.  It  is  not 
absolutely  necessary  to  use  any  one  particular 
grip.  You  can  take  your  pick  of  several  and 
still  play  very  fair  golf. 

"  What  is  the  best  grip?" 

I'd  like  to  have  you  figure  that  out  for  your- 
4  49 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

self.  And  remember  this;  while  there  may  be 
several  good  ways,  there  is  usually  a  better 
way.  I'll  first  name  a  grip  that  is  not  even 
a  good  way.  This  is  the  cross-handle  grip. 
With  this,  the  left  hand  is  below  the  right  in 
grasping  the  club.  There  are  other  freak 
grips  of  this  sort  which  you  would  do  best 
not  to  bother  your  head  about.  They  only 
complicate  matters.  All  the  accepted  grips 
which  are  basically  correct  fall  into  two 
classes;  these  are  the  V  or  natural  grip,  and 
the  overlapping  grip.  There  are  certain  vari- 
ations in  the  overlapping.  You'll  play  good 
golf  with  either  of  these  two  classes  of  grips. 
But  I'll  presently  give  you  my  reasons  for 
believing  that  one  is  the  best.  In  the  over- 
lapping grip,  more  often  known  as  the  Vardon 
grip,  the  left  thumb  lies  down  the  shaft  of  the 
club,  while  the  little  finger  of  the  right  hand 
rests  upon  the  forefinger  of  the  left  hand.  As 
the  name  implies,  the  two  hands  overlap.  In 
the  V  grip,  the  two  hands  come  together  on 
the  club  handle  but  there  is  no  overlapping 

(Figs.  13-14)- 

50 


THE  GOLF  GRIP 

"I've  heard  that  the  wrists  work  better  in 
unison,  in  the  overlapping  grip." 


FIG.  13 

The  V  or  natural  grip.     Just  as  if  you  were  grasp- 
ing a  baseball  bat 

Why  should  we  want  unison  when  as  every- 
body knows,  the  right  hand  does  most  of  the 
work?  A  better  plan  would  be  to  strengthen 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

up  the  left  hand  so  that  it  would  do  its  own 
share.     I  am  free  to  say  that  I  do  not  consider 


FIG.  14 

The  overlapping  or   Vardon  grip.     Note  little 
finger  of  right  hand  overlapping  forefinger  of  left 


the  Vardon  overlapping  grip  the  best.  That  is 
especially  true  for  people  just  starting  out 
with  golf.  Of  course  with  players  like  Vardon 

52 


THE  GOLF  GRIP 

and  Braid  the  muscles  are  thoroughly  under 
control  and  everything  runs  as  smooth  as 
machinery.  But  with  a  new  man  it's  differ- 
ent. The  overlapping  grip  seriously  compli- 
cates the  back  swing  of  the  aspiring  golfer. 
As  an  instructor,  I  see  this  constantly.  I'm 
against  anything  that  doesn't  make  the  road 
as  simple  as  possible. 

"I  like  the  overlapping  grip"  intruded  the 
interviewer. 

Mark  you,  I  don't  say  that  the  Vardon  over- 
lapping grip  is  not  a  good  grip.  I  only  say 
there  is  a  better  one;  that  is  the  natural  grip. 
If  you  have  learned  the  Vardon  grip  and  like 
it,  there  is  no  particular  reason  why  you 
shouldn't  continue  with  it,  especially  so  if  it 
has  become  a  habit.  I  never  ask  a  man  to 
change  his  grip.  I  simply  put  the  case  up  to 
him  and  he  can  suit  himself.  You  say  that  in 
your  particular  instance  you  have  used  the 
Vardon  grip  but  think  a  good  deal  about  the 
position  of  your  fingers  when  you  grip  a  club. 
That's  a  pretty  sure  sign  that  the  Vardon  grip 
hasn't  become  a  habit  with  you.  Otherwise 

53 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

you  wouldn't  give  the  fingers  a  thought.  If  it 
suits  you  to  change  your  grip,  I'd  say  you 
could  do  so  without  hurting  your  game. 

Another  thing,  a  man  who  plays  with  the 
overlapping  grip  right  along,  usually  carries 
around  with  him  a  mean  sore  on  the  knuckle  of 
his  left  forefinger.  Some  time  ago  I  attended 
a  tournament  and  just  after  the  contenders 
finished  driving  off  the  final  tee  a  newspaper 
man  asked  me  to  name  the  most  significant 
thing  I  saw.  I  told  him  the  thing  that 
impressed  me  most  was  the  fact  that  every 
man  but  one  was  wearing  a  piece  of  tape  on 
the  knuckle  of  his  left  forefinger — the  unfailing 
sign  of  overlapping.  It  happened  also  that 
the  winner  of  the  tournament  was  using  the 
natural  grip. 

"  Vardon's  a  pretty  fair  golfer.  And  besides, 
a  lot  of  other  first  string  men  use  his  grip," 
^hazarded  the  pupil. 

Just  the  point  I  want  to  make.  Vardon 
would  be  a  supremely  fine  golfer  however  he 
played.  And  just  because  he  is  a  bit  eccentric 
about  his  grip,  people  think  it's  the  grip  that's 

54 


THE  GOLF  GRIP 

playing  the  game,  when  in  reality  it  is  Vardon. 
You  may  name  to  me  a  list  of  champions  that 
use  the  Vardon  grip  but  I  will  come  right  back 
at  you  with  as  equally  a  creditable  list  that 
use  the  natural  grip.  For  example,  Ball, 
Hilton,  Evans,  and  Dauge.  Hilton  used  the 
overlapping  for  a  time  but  finally  discarded  it 
because  he  found  that  he  could  get  better  dis- 
tance with  the  natural.  As  for  Dauge,  sufficient 
to  say  that  this  Frenchman  is  probably  the 
longest  driver  in  the  world ;  what  is  more,  the 
amateur  championship  of  the  United  States  has 
never  been  won  with  the  overlapping  grip. 

Perhaps  you  think  I  am  saying  a  good  deal 
about  this  grip  which  I  don't  favour  very 
strongly  and  not  enough  about  one  that  I  do. 
I  am  doing  so  with  a  distinct  purpose.  The 
Vardon  grip  has  been  copied  and  talked  about 
so  extensively  that  a  lot  of  people  think  it's 
the  only  one  in  existence.  It  is  not  my  inten-^ 
tion  to  criticize  it  too  severely.  I  merely 
want  to  make  plain  some  facts  that  you  do  not 
usually  hear  about,  so  that  you  will  know  all 
sides  of  the  case. 

55 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKb 

As  to  my  reasons  for  favouring  the  natural 
grip,  I  like  it  first  of  all  because  it  is  natural. 
Every  movement  in  golf  should  first,  last,  and 
all  time  be  natural.  When  a  beginner  at  golf 
starts  with  the  natural  grip,  the  game  auto- 
matically becomes  a  continuation  of  something 
he  has  done  before.  Most  men  have  played 
baseball  or  chopped  down  a  tree.  The  funda- 
mentals of  the  V  grip  are  the  same.  When  a 
man  grasps  a  golf  club  in  the  same  way  he  has 
handled  a  baseball  bat  or  axe  he  immediately 
feels  at  home.  That  means  he  will  make 
much  faster  progress  than  he  would  if  he  tried 
to  master  the  intricacies  of  a  grip  entirely 
foreign  to  those  former  actions.  You  can't 
exactly  visualize  a  woodsman  using  the  over- 
lapping grip  to  cut  down  a  tree  can  you?  Nor 
can  I  visualize  a  golfer  who  takes  to  the  game 
naturally  using  anything  other  than  the  natural 
grip — or  in  other  words,  the  woodsman's  grip. 

Let  me  repeat :  if  you  have  become  used  to 
the  overlapping  grip  and  like  it,  you  can  stick 
to  it.  But  just  for  fun,  try  out  the  natural 
grip.  It  will  feel  a  little  awkward  at  first, 

56 


THE  GOLF  GRIP 

after  the  overlapping  grip  which  you  have 
been  using;  but  you'll  probably  soon  get 
accustomed  to  it  and  then  won't  want  to  go 


PIG.  15 

Correct  lie  of  club  across  fingers.    Remember  that 
club  head  is  resting  on  ground 


back  to  the  overlapping.  Grasp  the  club  as  if 
it  were  a  baseball  bat.  That  gives  you  the 
general  principle  of  the  V  grip.  But  at  the 
same  time,  you  must  remember  that  there  is 

57 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

this  difference  between  baseball  and  golf:  in 
one  case  you  are  hitting  the  ball  waist  high 
and  in  the  other  on  the  ground.  The  head  of 
the  golf  club  is  resting  on  the  ground  and  that 
means  that  you  can't  grip  it  straight  across  the 


FIG.  1 6 

The  club  should  lie  diagonally  across  fingers  of 
left  hand,  not  straight  across 


palms  (Fig.  15).  It's  a  mistake  that  a  good 
many  beginners  make.  The  club  should  be 
lying  diagonally  across  the  fingers  (Fig.  16). 
Furthermore,  your  hands  should  be  relaxed. 

You  want  to  get  as  much  power  into  your 
stroke  as  possible.     You've  no  idea  what  a 

58 


F.G.  17 

One  reason  why  golf  comes  easy  for  tennis  players. 

The  back-hand  tennis  stroke  and  back  swing  in 

golf  have  much  in  common 


59 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

difference  the  position  of  the  left  hand  on  the 
club  makes.  Just  address  the  ball,  please,  and 
hold  that  position. 

The  interviewer  followed  instructions. 


FIG.  1 8 

Fingers  of  the  left  hand  should  be  well  hidden 

You  will  notice  that  the  fingers  of  your  left 
hand  are  staring  you  in  the  face.  Remember 
that  the  sweep  of  the  left  hand  in  the  golf 
swing  is  like  a  back-hand  tennis  stroke  (Fig.  17) . 

60 


THE  GOLF  GRIP 

This  fact  makes  the  position  of  your  fingers  an 
important  item.  You  will  not  get  the  maxi- 
mum power  to  your  stroke  by  gripping  the  club 
as  you  are  now  doing.  Just  as  an  experiment, 
keep  your  left  hand  on  the  club  and  take  the 
right  entirely  away.  Now  swing  the  club 
towards  my  shins  as  if  you  were  going  to 
lambaste  me ;  or  as  if  you  were  going  through  a 
back -hand  stroke  in  tennis.  That  done,  go 
through  the  same  motion  again — only  before 
you  do  it  the  second  time,  move  the  position  of 
your  hand  so  that  the  fingers  are  hidden  (Fig. 
1 8).  Do  you  notice  any  difference  in  sense  of 
power  between  those  two  strokes? 

Unquestionably  there  were  much  greater  possi- 
bilities with  the  stroke  in  which  the  fingers  were 
hidden. 

Always  remember  that — fingers  of  left  hand 
hidden.  It  will  save  you  a  lot  of  trouble  and 
give  you  a  powerful  stroke.  To  sum  up  the 
position  of  the  two  hands  on  the  grip:  the  left 
hand  should  loosely  cover  the  shaft  with  the 
thumb  coiled  underneath  and  the  fingers  out 
of  sight.  The  right  hand  now :  the  back  of  the 

61 


FIG.  19 

Addressing  the  ball  with  the  natural  grip 


62 


THE  GOLF  GRIP 

hand  should  be  far  enough  under  the  shaft  so 
that  the  fingers  are  half-way  visible.  The 
thumb  should  be  coiled  around  the  shaft  as  in 
the  case  of  the  left  hand.  The  two  hands 
should  be  close  together  (Fig.  19). 


TALK  IV 
THE  GOLF  STANCE 


TALK   IV 

THE   GOLF    STANCE 

BEFORE  we  tackle  some  of  the  really  vital 
things  in  golf,  it  is  just  as  well  to  become 
familiar  with  those  parts  of  the  game  that 
do  not  matter  tremendously.  Most  begin- 
ners at  golf  are  lacking  in  a  sense  of  proportion ; 
they  fail  to  see  the  difference  between  the 
important  and  unimportant  movements  in  the 
game  and  it  often  takes  some  time  for  them  to 
develop  this.  They  make  much  faster  pro- 
gress just  as  soon  as  they  do  and  then  devote 
their  entire  attention  to  the  vital  things. 

The  other  day  I  spoke  of  the  essentials  and 
non-essentials  of  golf  in  relation  to  the  golf 
grip.  Although  I  recommended  the  natural 
grip,  I  said  that  there  were  several  others  from 
which  a  man  could  take  his  pick  and  still  play 

67 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

very  fair  golf.  There's  no  arduous  training 
required  in  learning  a  grip;  you  simply  pick 
out  the  particular  one  you  want  and  then 
dismiss  it  as  an  accomplished  fact. 

Now  comes  the  stance — the  position  of  your 
feet  at  the  moment  when  you  are  ready  to 
drive  the  ball.  Volumes  have  been  written 
about  the  stance.  Different  and  devious  are 
the  ways  which  are  recommended.  The 
beginner  is  told  to  stand  now  one  way,  now 
another,  if  he  expects  to  connect  with  the  ball. 
If  the  truth  of  the  matter  be  known,  the 
stance  is  in  the  same  class  with  the  grip ;  it  is  a 
non-essential.  You'll  play  good  golf  what- 
ever the  position  of  your  feet,  so  long  as  your 
particular  style  isn't  too  extreme. 

Strange  words.  The  interviewer  like  most  of 
his  golfing  kind  had  always  looked  upon  the 
stance  as  a  thing  of  vital  importance. 

Like  the  grip,  the  stance  is  a  good  deal  the 
slave  of  fashion.  A  good  player  starts  some- 
thing different  and  the  whole  world  follows 
suit.  This  sort  of  thing  is  rather  hard  on 
beginners  for  they  usually  copy  the  particular 

68 


THE  GOLF  STANCE 

non-essential  that  happens  to  be  in  vogue  at 
the  time,  under  the  impression  that  it  is  the 
only  possible  grip  or  stance  allowed  by  the 
rules  of  the  game.  Follow  the  dictates  of 
fashion  for  the  stance  covering  a  number  of 
years  and  your  right  foot  will  slowly  but  surely 
describe  an  arc  that  doesn't  fall  so  very  short 
of  being  a  semicircle.  One  year  it's  the 
square  stance;  that  is,  so  that  the  line  of  the 
toes  is  parallel  with  the  flight  of  the  ball 
(Fig.  20).  .Again  it  may  be  the  open  stance; 
in  this  case,  the  right  foot  is  advanced  slightly 
before  the  left  (Fig.  21).  Another  time  it  is 
the  closed  stance ;  the  right  foot  is  drawn  back 
from  the  square  stance  line.  You  can  play 
good  golf  in  any  of  these  three  positions  or 
their  variations. 

"Isn't  there  a  best  way?" 

The  square  stance  is  in  many  respects  the 
most  natural  way.  I'll  give  you  my  reasons 
for  saying  this.  To  get  away  from  golf  for  a 
moment,  suppose  that  you  were  to  make  a 
pendulum  out  of  a  piece  of  string  and  a  key. 
Then  you  were  to  hold  the  string  in  your  right 

69 


The    square    stance.     The    line   of    the    toes    is 
parallel  with  the  flight  of  the  ball 


THE  GOLF  STANCE 

hand  and  swing  the  key  over  a  certain  spot  in 
the  carpet.  I  think  that  if  you  were  to  ex- 
amine the  position  of  your  feet  you  would  find 
them  parallel  to  the  swing  of  the  pendulum. 
Applying  this  example  to  golf,  the  spot  in  the 
carpet  becomes  the  ball,  and  the  key  at  the 
bottom  of  the  string,  the  head  of  the  golf  club. 
The  club  head  is  to  all  intents  a  swinging 
pendulum. 

In  the  case  of  the  open  versus  the  square 
stance,  consider  the  baseball  player.  When 
the  batter  wishes  to  get  an  extra  long  ball  he 
does  not  put  his  right  foot  forward.  Then 
why  should  the  golfer?  In  doing  so  there  is 
a  tendency  to  interfere  with  pivoting.  Then 
too,  one  is  liable  to  slice  with  the  open  stance. 
Slicing  is  a  modern  disease  and  dates  from  the 
introduction  of  this  stance.  The  natural 
tendency  when  driving  is  to  swing  the  club 
parallel  to  the  feet.  When  you  are  standing 
at  an  angle  other  than  a  right  angle  to  the  line 
of  flight  a  slice  or  pull  often  results. 

The  square  stance  is  a  position  of  parallel 
lines  and  right  angles.  This  is  just  the  way 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

we  naturally  see  and  do  most  things  in  life. 
We  think  continually  in  terms  of  right  angles 


FIG.  21 

The  open  stance.     In  this  case  the  right  foot  is 
advanced  slightly  before  the  left 


and  parallel  lines.  We  row  a  boat,  drive  a 
motor  car,  or  ride  a  horse  at  right  angles.  We 
live  in  right-angled  houses  and  walk  down 
parallel  and  right-angled  streets.  Just  look 

72 


THE  GOLF  STANCE 

at  that  picture  hanging  there  on  the  wall.  It 
is  a  series  of  right  angles  and  here  we  are 
admiring  it  from  a  parallel  line. 

But  I'm  making  no  fast  rule  about  this 
concerning  the  golf  stance.  In  fact  this  is  the 
very  thing  I'm  trying  to  overcome.  All  people 
are  not  alike  physically.  A  man  may  feel 
more  at  home  using  the  open  stance  than  the 
square.  Then  why  on  earth  force  something 
that  is  unnatural  to  him  down  his  throat? 
Yet  it  is  often  done.  When  a  beginner  at 
golf  comes  to  me  I  usually  ask  him  to  try  out 
the  square  stance  because  it  is  generally  the 
natural  way.  But  if  it  feels  unnatural  to 
him,  I  let  him  change  to  whatever  position 
suits  him  best.  He  himself  is  the  only  one 
who  can  solve  that  problem. 

"Doesn't  a  man  shift  his  stance  more  or  less 
for  different  kinds  of  shots?" 

Very  often.  Even  when  a  man  is  a  strong 
adherent  to  the  square  or  any  other  stance  he 
seldom  lives  up  to  it  consistently  in  a  round  of 
golf.  Here  his  right  foot  is  square,  again  it  is 
advanced.  He  isn't  giving  any  thought  to  the 

73 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

position  of  his  feet;  he  is  moving  them  to  a 
certain  position  instinctively.  That  is  just  as 
it  should  be.  Throw  set  rules  regarding  the 
stance  to  the  winds  and  be  natural. 


74 


TALK  V 
THE  GOLF  ADDRESS 


75 


TALK  V 

THE   GOLF   ADDRESS 

How  should  a  golfer  look  to  you  when  he 
addresses  the  ball;  at  the  moment  when  he  is 
ready  for  the  back  swing?  In  simple  terms,  he 
should  look  as  though  he  was  about  to  connect 
squarely  with  the  ball  and  send  it  on  a  straight 
line  down  the  course.  In  case  his  expectations 
and  your  own  come  to  naught,  perhaps  a  single 
fault  may  be  held  accountable  for  the  slip  up. 
The  fault  may  be  in  the  swing.  And  then 
again  it  may  be  in  the  address:  before  he  has 
got  under  way. 

In  our  last  talk  I  spoke  of  the  position  of  the 
feet  in  the  golf  address.  The  three  different 
kinds  of  stance  were  explained — open,  square, 
and  closed.  While  I  said  that  personally  I 
favoured  the  square  stance  in  most  cases,  at  the 

77 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

same  time  I  advised  the  use  of  the  one  that 
felt  most  natural  to  the  golfer.  First,  last, 
and  all  time  he  should  think  of  the  simple  and 
natural  in  golf. 

Right  here,  I  would  like  to  add  that  there 
are  a  lot  of  very  simple  things  in  golf  that  have 
been  made  needlessly  difficult  for  the  beginner. 
Certain  golfing  terms  are  among  these.  While 
the  meaning  of  "square"  in  relation  to  the 
stance  is  self-evident,  that  of  "open"  and 
"closed"  are  quite  confusing  to  the  aspiring 
golfer.  The  names  fail  to  explain  anything. 
Sometimes  I  say  to  a  pupil,  "You  are  standing 
too  open."  Whereupon  he  proceeds  to  draw 
his  feet  together.  What  I  mean  to  convey  is 
that  his  right  foot  is  advanced  too  far  beyond 
his  left.  His  feet  have  been  the  right  distance 
apart;  but  it  is  quite  natural  that  he  should 
misunderstand  me.  These  confusing  terms  of 
such  general  acceptance  should  be  changed. 
"How  far  apart  should  the  feet  be?" 
Here  again,  the  answer  is:  be  natural. 
Remember  your  own  height  and  comfort  and 
act  accordingly.  No  golf  efficiency  engineer 

78 


FIG.  22 

Feet  too  close  together.     Result :  topped  ball 


79 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

can  tell  you  these  things;  although  many  will 
try.  If  you  stand  with  the  legs  too  close 
together,  you  will  be  unable  to  keep  your  bal- 
ance in  the  swing  and  also  probably  top  the 
ball.  In  case  your  legs  are  too  wide  apart, 
you'll  probably  find  it  too  hard  to  pivot  and 
also  very  likely  will  connect  with  the  ground 
instead  of  the  ball.  It's  up  to  yourself  to  find 
the  happy  medium  somewhere  between  these 
extremes  (Figs.  22-23). 

The  same  way  about  distance  to  stand  from 
the  ball.  Nobody  can  make  any  set  rule  about 
this.  All  people  aren't  built  alike.  Just 
leave  enough  leeway  so  that  you  can  swing 
comfortably  and  no  more,  although  I  can  tell 
you  of  a  more  or  less  mechanical  way  of  gaug- 
ing the  distance  to  suit  your  own  build. 

"How  do  you  go  about  it?'1 

Stand  with  your  feet  apart  as  in  the  stance 
and  rest  the  shaft  of  the  club  on  the  right  leg 
so  that  the  sole  of  the  club  head  is  flatly  on  the 
ground.  Make  footprints  where  you  are 
standing  and  then  step  forward  and  place  a 
ball  in  front  of  the  centre  of  the  club  head. 

80 


FIG.  23 

Feet  too  wide  apart.     Result:  hitting  the  ground 


81 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

This  represents  the  minimum  distance  from 
the  ball  and  not  the  playing  position.     Now 


FIG.  24 

Gauging  correct  distance  from  ball.     The  min- 
imum and  not  the  playing  position 


step  back  to  your  original  footprints.  Grip 
the  club,  bend  over  the  same  as  in  previous 
address  and  extend  the  arms  as  far  as  you  can. 

82 


THE  GOLF  ADDRESS 

This  gives  the  maximum  distance  and  like- 
wise not  the  position  from  which  the  ball 


FIG.  25 

Gauging  correct  distance  from  ball.     The  maxi- 
mum distance  but  not  to  be  played 


should  be  played.  However,  place  another 
ball  in  front  of  the  club  head  just  the  same. 
Half-way  between  these  two  balls  is  the  nat- 

83 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

ural   playing   position   from   your  footprints 
(Figs.  24-25-26). 


FIG.  26 

Gauging  correct  distance  from  ball.      Half-way 

between  minimum  and  maximum.     The  correct 

playing  position 

"What  should  be  the  playing  position  of  the 
ball?" 

The  point  of  impact  between  the  ball  and 
the  club  head  should  be  on  a  line  half-way 

84 


THE  GOLF  ADDRESS 

between  your  feet.  Of  course  this  brings  the 
ball  itself  a  trifle  left  of  centre.  This  may 
sound  like  splitting  hairs,  but  just  the  same 
it  is  worth  remembering;  otherwise,  the 
chances  are  that  you  will  often  place  the  ball 
well  to  the  right  of  centre.  In  such  cases 
there  is  a  tendency  to  chop  down  upon  the 
ball;  you  fail  to  get  in  a  clean  sweep  away 
from  you.  As  a  result  of  this  placing  the  ball 
too  far  to  the  right,  it  is  very  liable  to  roll 
along  the  ground. 

' '  How  about  the  position  of  the  hands  and  club  ? ' ' 
Of  course  your  right  hand  is  below  the  left 
on  the  club  shaft  and  this  naturally  brings  the 
right  shoulder  down  to  accommodate  it.  This 
also  throws  the  greater  part  of  your  weight 
upon  the  right  leg.  You  are  now  addressing 
the  ball.  See  that  your  hands  are  relaxed; 
barely  more  than  holding  the  club.  Most 
beginners  make  the  mistake  of  not  only 
squeezing  the  club  for  dear  life,  but  also  mak- 
ing all  sorts  of  facial  grimaces  in  the  bargain. 
If  you  have  this  fault,  just  think  of  a  person 
learning  to  drive  a  motor  car.  In  his  first 

85 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

ride,  he  grips  the  steering  wheel  with  the  same 
ferociousness  that  you  do  the  golf  club.  But 
later  on  he  eases  up  gradually  and  ends  up  by 
hardly  touching  the  wheel  when  he  steers. 

Another  common  fault  in  the  golf  address  is 
that  of  holding  the  club  shaft  over  the  left  or 
right  leg  instead  of  directly  in  the  centre.  The 
club  should  be  in  line  with  the  buttons  of  your 
coat.  As  you  stand  ready  in  the  address,  run 
your  eye  down  the  buttons  of  your  vest,  once 
and  awhile,  and  see  if  the  club  is  in  line. 

Finally,  before  starting  the  back  swing,  be 
sure  that  the  toe  of  the  club  head  is  not  tilting 
up  in  the  air.  See  that  the  under  side  is 
resting  evenly  on  the  ground. 


86 


TALK  VI 
SOME  GOLF  FAULTS 


TALK  VI 

SOME  ~  GOLF   FAULTS 

THE  boy  is  a  natural  athlete.  If  you  want 
to  see  an  exhibition  of  golfing  form  that  is 
practically  flawless,  ask  a  ten-year-old  caddy 
boy  to  drive  off.  The  chances  are  that  he 
plays  golf  just  as  it  should  be  played;  nat- 
urally, without  the  slightest  evidence  of  self- 
consciousness.  Even  though  he  drops  the 
game  for  a  few  years  he  will  never  entirely 
forget  how  to  play. 

Grown  men,  taking  up  golf  for  the  first  time, 
are  up  against  a  harder  proposition.  Physi- 
cally, they  have  got  into  all  manner  of  bad 
ways  since  their  boyhood  days.  Muscles  have 
become  set  in  unnatural  directions.  The  golf 
instructor's  job  is  to  wipe  out  the  years  and 
make  these  grown  men,  boys  again.  If  it 

89 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

happens  that  the  beginner  has  gone  in  exten- 
sively for  tennis  or  other  sports,  the  task  is 
often  a  comparatively  simple  one. 

Natural  aptitude  for  golf  may  come  through 
having  excelled  at  other  ball  games.  As  an 
example  of  this  I  might  mention  the  case  of  an 
expert  tennis  player  who  came  to  me  for  golf 
instruction  a  short  time  ago.  This  man  had 
never  had  a  golf  club  in  his  hands  before. 
Yet  in  only  two  or  three  lessons,  his  golf  swing 
was  nearly  perfect.  The  tennis  playing,  of 
course,  had  kept  his  muscles  and  mental  atti- 
tude toward  a  game  just  as  they  should  be  and 
gave  him  golf  sense. 

The  man  who  has  never  gone  in  for  other 
forms  of  sport  has  a  distinctly  harder  row  to 
hoe,  when  he  takes  up  golf.  But  that  is  no 
reason  why  he  shouldn't  develop  into  as  good 
a  player  as  the  other  man,  even  though  it  does 
take  him  longer.  If  he  keeps  at  it,  he  will 
arrive  at  golfing  success. 

"  /  know  men  who  have  tried  to  learn  golf  and 
given  it  up  as  impossible.11 

Anybody,  I  don't  care  who  he  is,  can  learn 
90 


SOME  GOLF  FAULTS 

how  to  play  golf.     Of  course,  I  don't  mean 
that  everybody  can  develop  into  an  expert. 


FIG.  27 
Incorrect:  rolling  the  forearms  too  soon 

What  I  do  say,  however,  is  that  anyone  can 
become  proficient  enough  so  that  he  thor- 

91 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

oughly  enjoys  playing  golf.  It  is  not  a  game 
which  is  impossible  for  some  people,  as  is 
sometimes  said. 


FIG.  28 

Rolling  the  forearms  correctly 

Let  the  beginner  who  loses  confidence  and 
is  about  ready  to  give  the  game  up,  take  this 
to  heart.  The  name  of  this  beginner's  golfing 
faults  may  be  legion ;  but  that  need  not  bother 

92 


SOME  GOLF  FAULTS 

him.  There  is  not  a  fault  in  the  game  of  golf, 
which  is  not  curable.  His  limit  may  be  a  half 
swing  with  a  midiron,  but  even  then  that  can 


FIG.  29 

It  is  a  mistake  to  hold  left  arm  doubled  up  and 
hands  close  to  head  as  above 


be  quite  well  worth  while.     It  is  a  clever  man 
who  knows  his  limitations. 

What  are  some  of  the  most  common  faults  of 
beginners?" 

The  list  would  be  a  long  one.  Just  to  name 
a  few,  I  might  mention :  rolling  the  forearms 
too  soon  on  the  back  swing  (Fig.  27) ;  hold- 

93 


94 


SOME  GOLF  FAULTS 

ing  the  left  arm  either  doubled  up  (Fig.  29) 
or  too  rigid  (Fig.  30)  in  the  back  swing;  right 
elbow  way  up  in  the  air  at  top  of  swing  (Fig. 
32);  turning  the  left  foot  too  soon;  body  off- 
balance  (Fig.  32);  raising  up  the  body;  head 
cocked  over  on  left  shoulder  at  top  of  swing  in- 
stead of  in  dead  centre.  So  it  goes. 

But  I  repeat,  there  is  not  one  of  these  faults 
that  cannot  be  cured.  In  some  cases  it  takes 
longer  than  others.  Much  depends  upon  the 
interest  and  perseverance  of  the  aspiring 
golfer;  a  great  deal  upon  the  instructor.  A 
boy  can  learn  by  imitation,  but  a  grown  man 
analyzes  things  and  has  to  know  the  reasons 
for  making  certain  motions  in  specified  ways. 
Just  as  soon  as  he  understands  the  whys  and 
wherefores  of  these  motions,  he  goes  ahead  and 
performs  them  more  naturally. 

So  it's  a  good  deal  up  to  the  beginner  to  fire 
away  with  questions;  the  more  the  merrier. 
Besides  this,  it's  a  sign  that  he  is  genuinely 
interested,  all  of  which  puts  the  instructor 
upon  his  mettle,  and  he  in  turn  becomes  inter- 
ested in  making  an  especially  superior  golfer 

95 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

out  of  that  particular  pupil.  Don't  do  any- 
thing without  a  good  reason,  because  other- 
wise you  will  do  it  against  your  will. 

"Don't  the  methods  of  some  of  the  various  golf 
instructors  vary  ? ' ' 

Unfortunately,  they  do.  In  fact,  I  know  of 
certain  cases  where  beginners  have  been 
taught  absolutely  false  golf.  You've  no  idea 
how  great  a  handicap  this  is  to  a  beginner. 
The  day  usually  comes  when  he  changes 
instructors.  But  by  that  time,  the  damage 
will  have  been  done;  the  wrong  way  has 
become  a  habit.  He  is  a  much  harder  case 
for  the  new  instructor  than  though  he  had 
never  had  a  club  in  his  hand. 

So  you  will  see  that  it  is  highly  important 
that  a  beginner  start  right.  An  acquired 
fault  is  the  hardest  kind  of  a  one  to  get  rid  of. 

"How  is  a  beginner  to  know  correct  golfing 
form?" 

I'll  lead  up  to  that  gradually.  First,  let  me 
say  that  golf  is  a  game  which  has  been  played 
for  more  than  three  hundred  years  by  people 
of  the  leisure  class — people  who  haven't  done 

96 


97 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

much  of  anything  else  except  play  golf.  All  of 
which  represents  a  good  many  generations  of 
life-long  study  of  the  game.  With  such  a 
solid  background,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  there  are  certain  golfing  motions  in  the 
game,  as  it  is  played  to-day,  about  which  you 
can  say,  "This  is  the  correct  way,  any  other 
way  is  wrong." 

This  rule  of  course  does  not  apply  to  some 
few  personal  peculiarities  in  the  game  of  some 
well  known  present  day  players.  The  grip, 
stance,  and  method  of  putting  may  differ 
slightly  among  leading  players.  Suit  yourself 
pretty  much  how  you  go  about  them,  remem- 
bering not  to  copy  the  eccentricity  of  an 
individual. 

I've  spoken  before  about  the  essentials  and 
non-essentials  in  the  game.  A  great  many 
people  get  the  two  mixed  up.  There  is  a 
tendency  to  be  up  to  date;  on  the  lookout  for 
the  most  recent  stunt  that  some  leading  golfer 
has  made  popular.  Perhaps  it  is  a  new  way 
of  gripping  the  club,  such  as  the  Vardon  grip. 
In  which  case  it  is  a  non-essential.  So,  why 

98 


99 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

copy  it?  Rather  make  a  study  of  the  parts 
of  that  particular  player's  game  which  have 
the  three  hundred  year  background;  in  other 
words,  the  essentials. 

I  believe  in  copying  the  successful  ones  in 
golf,  and  in  life  for  that  matter.  But  I  think 
it  only  common  sense  for  one  to  confine  this 
to  the  elements  that  have  made  them  suc- 
cessful. If  you  go  too  far,  you  are  liable  to 
get  muddled  up  and  lose  your  sense  of 
proportion. 

I  have  here  a  collection  of  photos  of  some  of 
the  world's  leading  golfers  in  action.  After 
you  have  studied  these  awhile  'you  will  find 
that  there  are  not  so  many  different  kinds  of 
golf  form  as  you  may  have  thought.  In  fact 
there  is  only  one  kind;  and  you  will  see  it  in 
every  one  of  those  pictures.  The  essentials 
of  the  swing  are  the  same  in  every  case.  It  is 
only  in  the  non-essentials  that  they  differ. 

Study  those  photos  carefully.  Note  the 
exact  position  of  Var don's  heel  in  relation  to 
his  back  swing.  See  whether  his  arm  is 
rigidly  stiff,  only  partially  so,  or  doubled  up. 

100 


SOME  GOLF  FAULTS 

Clearly,  it  is  only  partly  stiff.  Then  the 
next  time  some  one  tells  you  to  play  with 
a  perfectly  rigid  arm,  flash  Vardon's  photo 
on  him. 


101 


TALK  VII 
GETTING  THE  KNACK  OF  THE  SWING 


103 


TALK  VII 

GETTING  THE  KNACK  OF  THE   SWING 

ABOUT  every  beginner  at  golf  who  is  ambi- 
tious to  become  a  good  player  has  two  roads 
open  to  him.  One  is  to  begin  at  the  top  and 
the  other  is  to  begin  at  the  bottom.  In  the 
first  case  he  will  probably  work  down  and  in 
the  other  he  will  unquestionably  work  up.  By 
the  top,  I  refer  to  the  full  swing.  After  a 
man  has  mastered  that  thoroughly  so  that  the 
right  swing  has  become  second  nature  to  him, 
he  is  a  finished  golfer. 

Most  beginners  want  to  tackle  the  full  swing 
right  at  the  start.  They  usually  think  that 
the  driver  is  the  only  really  important  club  in 
a  golf  bag.  Often  when  a  new  pupil  comes  to 
me,  the  first  club  he  picks  out  is  a  driver  and  I 
fairly  have  to  hide  it  to  keep  it  away  from  him. 

105 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

The  full  swing  is  the  hardest  movement  in 
the  game,  and  a  driver  or  brassie  the  most 
difficult  of  clubs — although  not  a  very  promis- 
ing combination  for  a  beginner.  Why  start 
with  the  most  difficult  in  golf?  The  wiser 
method  is  to  follow  the  lines  of  least  resistance. 
Start  with  the  simple  part  of  the  game,  perfect 
that,  and  the  difficulties  will  pretty  well  take 
care  of  themselves. 

"Why  do  beginners  feel  so  confident  about 
tackling  the  full  swing?11 

They  fail  to  appreciate  the  foundation  upon 
which  it  is  built.  Many  people  look  upon  the 
full  swing  as  a  movement  quite  different  from 
the  quarter,  half,  and  three-quarter  swings. 
To  them,  each  one  of  these  is  a  unit  unto  itself. 
They  believe  that  there  is  no  special  con- 
nection between  these  four  shots. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  they  are  all  one  continu- 
ous movement  which  reaches  its  climax  in  the 
full  swing.  For  this  reason,  you  will  see  the 
importance  of  perfecting  the  short  strokes 
before  lengthening  out  into  the  full  ones.  A 
slight  fault  in  the  half  swing  becomes  an 

1 06 


FIG.  33 

The  club  as  a  pendulum.     One  of  the  first  princi- 
ples of  how  a  golf  ball  is  swept  off  the  tee 


107 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

exaggerated  and  very  serious  fault  by  the 
time  you  have  reached  the  full  swing.  The 
only  safe  way  is  to  perfect  your  half  swing  to 
the  point  where  that  fault  will  not  develop 
at  all. 

The  beginner  who  attempts  to  master  the 
full  swing  in  a  minute,  hasn't  the  slightest 
idea  what  he  is  trying  to  do.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  man  who  starts  from  small  begin- 
nings, and  masters  each  step  as  he  comes  to  it, 
has  a  chance  to  analyze  things  and  sees  the 
reasons  for  every  movement. 

For  example,  if  he  is  painstaking  enough 
simply  to  grasp  the  end  of  the  club  grip 
between  the  thumb  and  forefinger  and  let  the 
club  swing  back  and  forth  in  front  of  him  like 
a  pendulum,  he  will  learn  and  remember  one 
of  the  first  principles  of  how  a  golf  ball  is 
swept  off  the  tee.  Then  he  can  go  ahead  and 
apply  it  (Fig.  33). 

"  What  dub  and  stroke  do  you  recommend  for 
beginners." 

The  midiron  and  a  quarter  swing  with  only 
the  left  arm  is  a  good  starter.  Also,  leave  the 

1 08 


GETTING  THE  KNACK  OF  THE  SWING 

ball  out  of  it  entirely.  Get  the  knack  of  the 
swing  first.  Some  time  ago  in  one  of  our  talks 
I  spoke  of  the  pivoting  and  balancing  exercises,' 
by  means  of  which  a  man  could  learn  a  lot 
about  golf  without  any  club  in  his  hands. 
I  will  now  take  up  two  exercises  in  which  the 
club,  but  no  ball  is  used. 

First  comes  this  left  arm  quarter  swing. 
With  the  exception  of  right  hand  being  on  hip 
or  at  your  side,  take  the  proper  golf  stance, 
with  eye  on  the  imaginary  ball,  fingers  of  left 
hand  well  hidden  on  grip,  and  then  swing  the 
club  back  and  forth  in  a  short  pendulum  like 
swing,  at  the  same  time  pivoting  to  right  and 
left  as  far  as  is  natural.  Keep  this  exercise  up 
continuously  for  some  time,  always  just  shav- 
ing the  surface  of  the  ground  with  the  bottom 
of  the  club  head  (Fig.  34). 

This  exercise  gives  you  the  feel  of  both  the 
club  and  the  short  swing.  Also  it  is  the  best 
possible  means  for  strengthening  the  muscles 
of  the  left  arm.  For  this  reason  it  is  a  valu- 
able exercise  for  advanced  golfers  as  well  as 
beginners  to  practice  now  and  then.  With 

109 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

most  people,  the  right  arm  is  stronger  than  the 
left;  it  is  perfectly  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
if  both  arms  were  of  the  same  strength  they 


34 


Getting  the  knack  of  the  swing  without  hitting 
the  ball 

would  work  in  better  unison.  If  you  keep  at 
this  exercise  for  some  time,  the  left  arm  will 
soon  be  in  condition  to  do  its  full  share  of  the 
work. 

no 


GETTING  THE  KNACK  OF  THE  SWING 

In  the  next  exercise  you  go  through  the  same 
movement  I  have  just  mentioned,  but  instead 
of  only  one  hand,  both  hands  in  this  case  are 
grasping  the  club  and  in  regulation  golfing 
style.  Swing  back  and  forth,  back  and  forth, 
always  shaving  the  ground  at  the  centre  of  the 
arc.  When  you  fail  to  connect  with  the 
ground,  it  probably  means  that  you  have 
raised  up ;  if  you  dig  up  the  ground,  you  are 
bending  over  too  far.  I  mention  these  as  only 
two  of  several  golf  faults  that  you  can  correct 
before  you  have  ever  hit  a  ball.  There  are 
many  others. 

If  there  is  any  one  exercise  a  man  can 
practice  that  will  make  a  finished  golfer  out  of 
him,  this  is  the  one.  For  here  you  are  playing 
the  game  in  all  its  essentials;  only  the  ball  is 
lacking.  The  full  swing  is  merely  a  continu- 
ation of  the  short  movement  you  are  going 
through.  I  call  this  exercise,  "shaving  the 
mat";  in  giving  lessons  I  place  a  door  mat  in 
front  of  a  pupil.  Anybody  can  use  the  same 
scheme  in  his  own  home.  Even  advanced 
golfers  would  do  well  to  come  back  to  this 

in 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

simple  exercise  whenever  they  find  themselves 
getting  off  their  game  (Fig.  35). 


FIG.  35 

Making  the  correct  way  a  habit :  the  "shaving  the 
mat"  exercise 


It  isn't  always  easy  for  beginners  to  connect 
with  the  surface  of  the  mat.  In  most  cases 
they  swing  through  thin  air  or  dig  into  the 

112 


GETTING  THE  KNACK  OF  THE  SWING 

mat,  at  first.  Then  they  begin  to  take  stock 
of  their  faults  with  the  result  that  they  become 
more  accurate.  After  the  right  way  has  be- 
come a  habit,  one  can  take  his  eyes  off  the 
mat  and  look  out  of  the  window  if  he  wishes, 
while  going  through  this  exercise ;  and  on  every 
back  and  forward  stroke,  the  club  head  shaves 
the  mat  as  neatly  as  can  be. 

"Why  not  let  a  beginner  start  out  hitting  balls 
with  this  short  stroke?" 

Even  in  this  short  stroke,  when  a  man  starts 
right  in  hitting  the  ball  he  is  liable  to  develop 
unnecessary  faults .  The  average  beginner  will 
chop  at  the  ball  rather  than  sweep  it  away 
from  him.  The  "shaving  the  mat"  exercise 
is  the  sweeping  movement  of  the  finished 
golfer.  Needless  to  say  it's  better  to  make 
this  correct  movement  of  golf  a  habit,  rather 
than  the  fault  of  chopping.  If  the  pupil  never 
finds  out  that  such  a  fault  as  chopping  exists, 
so  much  the  better  for  him. 

A  beginner  can't  give  too  much  time  to  this 
exercise;  the  more  attention  he  gives  it,  the 
better  his  game  will  eventually  become.  After 
s  113 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

he  has  become  fairly  accurate  at  this,  he  can 
proceed  to  the  practice  of  actually  hitting 
balls  with  the  quarter  and  half  swing.  But 
he  should  always  take  full  stock  of  his  faults  as 
they  appear  and  not  allow  them  to  get  any 
further.  By  slow  degrees  he  can  continue 
back  to  the  three-quarter  and  then  the  full 
swing. 


114 


TALK  VIII 
STICK  TO  THE  MINOR  SHOTS 


TALK   VIII 

STICK  TO   THE   MINOR    SHOTS 

THERE  are  two  old  adages  that  every 
beginner  at  golf  should  have  constantly  in  the 
back  of  his  head.  One  is,  "  practice  makes 
perfect,"  the  other,  "make  haste  slowly." 
The  beginner  should  confine  his  efforts  to  the 
quarter  and  half  swings;  practise  them  over 
and  over  until  they  are  letter  perfect;  until 
the  right  way  has  become  second  nature  to 
him.  Then  he  can  proceed  to  master  the 
three-quarter  and  finally  the  full  swing. 

But  let  him  always  remember  this:  the 
longer  he  sticks  to  the  quarter  and  half  shots, 
the  better  will  his  game  eventually  become. 
Make  your  short  game  perfect  and  the  long 
game  will  take  care  of  itself. 

In  this  connection,  I  will  ask  you  to  follow 
117 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

the  play  of  the  leading  golf  professionals. 
Practically  every  one  of  these  men  excels  in 
the  minor  shots ;  and  incidentally  the  man  who 
plays  a  consistent  game  of  well  placed  minor 
shots,  usually  plays  a  winning  game.  The 
reason  why  the  average  golf  professional  plays 
the  short  game  so  exceedingly  well  dates  back 
to  his  golf  beginnings;  for  days,  months,  and 
sometimes  years  his  game  had  been  almost 
entirely  confined  to  the  quarter  and  half 
swings. 

In  most  cases  these  men  were  started  upon 
their  golfing  careers  as  caddy  boys.  Fortu- 
nately for  them,  very  few  owned  a  whole  bag- 
ful of  clubs  in  their  earliest  golfing  days;  the 
fact  that  their  club  possessions  were  confined 
to  an  odd  iron  or  mashie  was  really  the  thing 
that  made  their  game.  Then,  too,  while' 
waiting  around  for  their  employers  to  come  to 
the  tee,  they  usually  killed  time  by  practising 
short  mashie  shots.  With  a  solid  foundation 
of  this  sort,  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  in 
due  time,  these  boys  should  have  developed 
into  experts  at  the  minor  shots. 

118 


119 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

"  Why  is  it  so  difficult  for  the  average  beginner 
to  hit  a  ball  squarely?" 

It's  a  state  of  mind  for  the  most  part. 
People  have  the  erroneous  idea  that  there  is  a 
great  mystery  about  golf.  In  reality  there 
isn't  any  mystery  about  it  at  all.  It  is  simply 
a  question  of  hitting  the  ball  naturally.  But 
instead,  many  people  become  panic  striken  at 
the  supposed  difficulties  of  connecting  with 
the  ball,  and  wind  themselves  up  into  all  sorts 
of  unnatural  contortions  (for  example,  figures 
36-37) .  To  the  caddy  boy,  killing  time  with 
a  few  short  mashie  shots,  there  is  no  mystery 
to  golf ;  none  of  the  supposed  difficulties  occur 
to  him.  He  simply  plays  perfect  and  natural 
golf. 

The  mere  presence  of  the  -  ball  is  often 
sufficient  to  frighten  the  beginner  into  all 
sorts  of  unnatural  movements.  For  this  rea- 
son it  is  wise  for  him  first  to  acquire  the  knack 
of  the  minor  swings  without  a  ball  at  all. 
When  this  knack  becomes  second  nature  to 
him,  the  ball  is  no  longer  a  bugaboo,  but 
simply  a  small  white  object  that  happens  to  be 

1 20 


121 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

in  the  line  of  the  swing.  In  our  last  talk, 
these  shots  with  a  wholly  imaginary  ball  were 
explained.  The  most  valuable  one  is  called 
"shaving  the  mat " ;  that  is,  take  a  short  swing 
back  and  forth  over  an  ordinary  door  mat,  just 
grazing  the  surface  with  the  club  head. 

After  the  beginner  has  become  accustomed 
to  the  feel  of  the  club,  and  finds  that  he  is  able 
to  connect  with  the  surface  of  the  mat  fairly 
consistently,  he  is  ready  for  the  next  step. 
Now  he  can  try  hitting  the  ball,  with  the  same 
short  stroke. 

A  golf  course  is  not  the  best  place  in  the 
world  for  the  beginner  to  practise  the  actual 
hitting  of  the  ball ;  in  fact  it's  one  of  the  worst. 
By  far  the  best  method  is  to  go  to  an  indoor 
golf  school  (Figs.  38-39)  or  rig  up  some  sort  of 
court  yourself  with  a  canvas  back  stop ;  there 
may  be  room  for  it  in  your  attic  or  back  yard. 
One  of  my  pupils  uses  as  a  combination  back 
stop  and  bull's-eye,  an  old  carpet  swung  across 
the  entrance  to  his  garage.  Every  day  when 
he  gets  home  from  business  he  bombards  it 
with  several  dozen  shots. 

122 


123 


124 


STICK  TO  THE  MINOR  SHOTS 

I  have  at  Lake  Placid,  an  outdoor  netted 
court  adjoining  the  golf  course.  Pupils  some- 
times start  out  with  the  belief  that  they  will 


FIG.  40 

Where  a  beginner  will  learn  golf  more  quickly 

than  on  the  links.     A  practice  cage  of  cheap  and 

simple  construction 


make  faster  progress  by  learning  on  the  course 
itself.  But  they  usually  fall  back  upon  the 
court  as  the  surer  method. 

This  particular  court  cost  less  than  twenty : 
five  dollars  to  build.  There  isn't  much  to  it 
but  posts  and  crosspieces  with  chicken  house 
wire  strung  over  the  top,  sides,  and  one  end. 
Just  in  front  of  the  closed  end  is  a  sheet  of 

125 


FIG.  41 

Wrong.     When  only  a  half  a  swing    is    wanted, 

there  is  a  common  tendency  to   swing  back  too 

far 


126 


STICK  TO  THE  MINOR  SHOTS 

canvas  and  a  bull's-eye  to  aim  at.  Nearly  any 
one  can  build  one  like  it  in  the  back  yard 
(Fig.  40). 

Practice,  above  all  else  is  what  will  make  a 
golfer  out  of  a  man.  With  some  such  equip- 
ment as  this,  either  indoors  or  outdoors,  at  his 
disposal  he  can  practise  to  his  heart's  content. 

"How  should  a  man  go  about  using  such  a 
court?" 

Simply  take  a  dozen  or  more  golf  balls  and 
drive  them  at  the  canvas  target  one  after  the 
other,  using  the  short  stroke  already  men- 
tioned. Be  sure  to  stick  to  the  short  stroke; 
one  of  the  common  faults  with  a  beginner  who 
intends  to  take  only  a  half  swing  is  that  he 
reaches  back  to  one  that  more  closely  ap- 
proaches a  three-quarter  (Fig.  41).  The  first 
thing  a  man  should  do  is  to  make  up  his  mind 
that  he  is  going  to  make  a  record  of  six  succes- 
sive strikes  on  the  target.  The  chances  are, 
however,  that  he  won't  do  this.  Probably  he 
will  manage  to  get  up  to  four  or  five,  and  then 
spoil  the  string  with  a  foozle.  In  this  case  he 
should  pay  a  penalty ;  one  that  is  an  excellent 

127 


FIG.  42 

Correct :     H  ow  a  half  swing  should  look  at  the  top 


128 


STICK  TO  THE  MINOR  SHOTS 

lesson  in  concentration.  He  should  start  all 
over  again  beginning  at  "one." 

When  he  has  finally  registered  six  successive 
hits,  he  is  allowed  to  go  after  bigger  game. 
Let  him  try  next  for  twelve  successive  hits.  If 
he  falls  down  at  "eleven,"  back  he  goes  to 
"one"  again  and  so  on  over  and  over  until  the 
coveted  twelve  has  been  reached.  Where 
there  are  proper  facilities  for  doing  so,  this 
same  method  can  be  carried  out  with  twenty- 
four  and  then  fifty  shots.  When  you  get  up 
around  forty-eight  or  so,  it's  a  good  test  of  con- 
centration to  run  out  the  string  successfully. 

Of  course  it's  not  likely  that  a  man  will  have 
as  many  golf  balls  as  this  to  play,  but  he  can 
devise  some  scheme  whereby  each  ball  rolls 
back  to  his  feet  after  hitting  the  target.  In 
giving  indoor  instruction,  I  have  had  an 
inclined  floor  constructed,  reaching  from  the 
base  of  the  target  to  the  pupil's  feet.  In  this 
way,  all  he  has  to  do  is  reach  down  and  pick 
up  each  ball  after  it  has  rolled  back. 


129 


TALK  IX 
FROM  THREE-QUARTERS  TO  FULL  SWING 


TALK   IX 

FROM    THREE-QUARTERS    TO   FULL   SWING 

I  HAVE  spoken  of  the  importance  to  the  golf 
beginner  of  perfecting  the  minor  shots  before 
attempting  the  full  swing.  This  advice  can't 
be  repeated  too  often.  First  get  the  quarter 
swing  down  pat,  then  in  turn  the  half,  and 
follow  that  up  with  the  three-quarter  swing  so 
that  the  right  way  becomes  a  habit;  then  the 
full  swing  in  most  cases  will  take  care  of  itself. 
Some  people  think  that  the  full  swing  is  an 
entirely  different  movement  from  the  quarter, 
half,  and  three-quarter  shots.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  it  is  exactly  the  same — merely  a  continu- 
ation of  the  minor  swings. 

I  have  mentioned  the  necessity  of  practising 
the  half  swing  until  it  has  become  perfect; 
until  every  move  you  make  is  correct  without 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

your  giving  a  thought  to  what  you  are 
doing.  When  that  happy  moment  has  ar- 
rived, you  can  swing  back  to  the  three- 
quarter  and  perfect  that  in  the  same  way 
(Figs.  43-44)- 

It  happens  that  the  three-quarter  swing  is 
the  limit  of  some  people's  game.  Their  three- 
quarter  and  the  shorter  shots  are  often  without 
a  flaw,  but  when.it  comes  to  reaching  back  to 
the  full  swing  they  may  not  be  able  to  quite 
get  it.  In  such  a  case  it  is  foolish  for  a  man  to 
spend  a  good  part  of  a  lifetime  trying  to 
acquire  something  that  is  beyond  him.  Life 
is  too  short. 

It  is  far  wiser  to  play  fairly  good  golf  with  a 
three-quarter  swing  than  poor  golf  with  a  full 
swing.  The  man  who  has  perfected  the 
three-quarter  but  can't  quite  master  the  full 
swing  is  up  against  this  very  situation.  In 
most  cases,  this  applies  to  men  who  have  not 
taken  up  golf  until  they  are  over  forty  and 
who  are  without  an  athletic  background. 

Although  the  full  swing  is  but  a  continu- 
ation of  the  three-quarter,  I  am  going  to  take 

i34 


Top  of  the  three-quarter  swing 


135 


FIG.  44 
Finish  of  the  three-quarter  swing 


136 


FROM  THREE-QUARTERS  TO  FULL  SWING 

you  to  it  by  what  may  strike  you  as  being  a 
rather  round-about  method.  However,  it  is 
an  extremely  effective  one.  This  first  step  in 
getting  the  knack  of  the  full  swing  is  in  the 
form  of  a  simple  practice  exercise,  somewhat 
along  the  lines  of  other  exercises  I  have  men- 
tioned in  our  talks.  I  do  nof  say  that  this 
particular  exercise  is  necessary  in  order  to 
acquire  the  full  swing.  But  it  simplifies 
matters,  and  golf  at  every  stage  should  be  kept 
down  to  the  simplest  possible  terms. 

The  first  move  in  this  exercise  is  to  address 
the  ball  as  you  would  for  a  quarter,  half,  or 
three-quarter  swing.  But  instead  of  swinging 
the  club  back  in  the  customary  manner,  bring 
it  straight  up  to  and  over  the  right  shoulder 
(Fig.  45).  You  will  now  imagine,  if  you  can, 
that  the  club  is  a  long  handled  mallet  and  that 
you  wish  to  drive  a  peg  into  the  ground  with 
it.  In  the  position  you  are  now  holding,  the 
head  of  the  club  is  hanging  down  over  the 
shoulder;  your  hands  on  the  grip  of  the  club 
are  in  line  with  your  chin.  The  position  of 
the  body  remains  just  as  in  the  address;  body 


M-V 


FIG.  45 

Second  position  in  the  mallet  exercise.      Imagine 
you  are  about  to  drive  a  peg  into  the  ground 


138 


FROM  THREE-QUARTERS  TO  FULL  SWING 

slightly  bent,  right  shoulder  depressed  a  little, 
left  arm  almost  straight,  right  elbow  down, 


FIG.  46 

An    instantaneous     snapshot    showing    correct 
position  at  top  of  the  swing 

head  facing  forward  and  feet  firmly  planted  on 
the  ground. 

i39 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

You  are  now  in  a  position  to  drive  the  peg 
into  the  ground  with  an  up  and  down  swing  of 


FIG.  47 

The  correct  finish  of  a  full  iron  shot 


the  arms.     But  if  you  wish  to  get  any  man- 
sized  strokes  out  of  the  mallet,   it  is  quite 

140 


FROM  THREE-QUARTERS  TO  FULL  SWING 

necessary  that  you  get  your  body  into  the 
strokes.  The  entirely  natural  movement  to 
do  this  would  be  to  swing  the  arms  to  the 
right  and  at  the  same  time  pivot.  This  move- 
ment brings  the  shaft  of  the  club  (or  mallet) 
across  the  back  of  your  neck,  although  not 
quite  touching  it. 

If  you  will  now  proceed  to  examine  the 
pivot  you  have  made  with  such  entire  natural- 
ness, you  will  find  that  the  left  heel  is  off  the 
ground,  the  left  knee  bent  inward,  right  leg 
almost  rigid,  left  arm  almost  straight,  right 
elbow  down,  and  your  eyes  are  fixed  upon  the 
imaginary  peg.  And  you  may  be  surprised  to 
learn  that  you  are  in  almost  perfect  form  for 
the  top  of  the  full  golf  swing  (Fig.  46) . 


141 


TALK  X 
THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  BALANCE 


TALK   X 

THE    IMPORTANCE   OF    BALANCE 

ONCE  you  have  mastered  the  full  swing  you 
can  conscientiously  say  that  you  know  golf. 
The  full  swing  is  the  sum  total  of  the  game. 
You  will  have  your  off  days — that  concerns 
mental  condition  mainly — but  the  feel  of  the 
full  swing  once  acquired  is  never  forgotten. 

We  can  compare  golf  with  other  sports  in 
this  respect.  Suppose -that  some  time  in  the 
past  you  have  learned  the  fine  points  of  swim- 
ming or  skating  but  have  not  engaged  in  these 
sports  recently.  Then  you  suddenly  take 
them  up  again.  At  first  you  are  a  trifle  rusty, 
but  it  is  not  long  before  you  are  back  into  your 
old  form  again. 

It  is  the  same  way  with  golf.  The  full 
swing,  once  you  have  it  right,  will  always  stay 

10  H5 


FIG.  48 

Wrong.     Head  has  moved  off  centre  and  thrown 
whole  body  out  of  balance 


146 


by  you.  Even  though  you  drop  the  game 
entirely  for  a  time,  you  will  never  have  to 
begin  all  over  when  you  start  in  again.  All 
that  is  needed  is  a  little  brushing  up. 

In  order  to  acquire  this  permanent  found- 
ation, it  is  quite  essential  that  you  get  the  full 
swing  right  in  the  first  place.  The  road  to 
perfection  is  of  ten  a  long  hard  one.  Yet  when 
once  the  goal  is  reached  the  correct  full  swing 
will  strike  you  as  being  astonishingly  simple, 
much  more  simple  in  fact  than  the  wrong  way. 
And  your  form  at  the  full  swing  depends 
mainly  upon  what  it  happens  to  be  at  the 
quarter,  half,  and  three-quarter  swings. 

If  your  minor  shots  are  right,  the  chances 
are  that  your  full  swing  will  be  perfect.  The 
top  of  the  full  swing  is  simply  a  continuation  of 
these.  If  the  segments  of  the  circle  are  with- 
out faults,  so  will  the  complete  circle  be  above 
reproach.  That  is  why  I  constantly  repeat 
the  necessity  of  perfecting  the  minor  shots 
before  tackling  the  full  swing. 

Of  utmost  importance  is  balance — absolute 
body  balance  every  inch  of  the  way  from  the 


FIG.  49 

Correct.     Head  is  dead  centre  as  at  address  and  in 
perfect  balance 


148 


FIG.  50 

Turning  the  heel  too  far  at  top  of  swing.     This 
throws  one  off  balance 


I4Q 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

address  to  the  top  of  the  swing.  If  this  is 
correct  at  the  top,  the  club  will  sweep  down 
and  hit  the  ball  square.  But  if  you  go  off 
balance  at  any  stage  while  the  club  is  travelling 
to  the  top — at  quarter,  half,  or  three-quarter — 
the  chances  are  that  you  will  be  off  balance  at 
the  top  and  also  to  a  greater  extent  than  you 
are  farther  down.  A  fault  that  is  compara- 
tively slight  at  the  quarter  or  half  stage 
becomes  greatly  exaggerated  by  the  time  it 
reaches  the  full. 

Let  us  go  through  the  movement  of  the  full 
swing  from  the  address  to  the  top.  At  the 
address,  we  will  take  for  granted  that  your 
balance  is  perfect.  Right  shoulder  is  down, 
stomach  is  in,  head  is  held  rigidly  in  the 
centre,  eyes  are  on  the  ball,  hands  are  gripping 
club  without  any  effort.  All  is  natural  and 
easy. 

You  now  proceed  to  make  a  half  turn  to 
the  right,  keeping  the  forward  bend  of  the 
body  constant.  Due  to  the  pivoting,  the  left 
knee  bends  inward,  the  wrists  twist  naturally. 
By  the  time  you  reach  the  top,  the  right  elbow 

150 


FIG.  51 

The  correct  distance  to  turn  heel  at  top  of  swing 


151 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

is  fairly  well  against  the  body  the  hands  are 
well  away  from  the  head,  the  left  arm  is  almost 
although  not  quite  straight. 

There  are  quite  a  few  possible  faults  that 
may  crop  up  during  this  proceeding  that  will 
throw  the  body  off  balance  and  spoil  the  whole 
shot.  All  may  go  well  until  the  half  swing 
stage  is  reached  and  then  perhaps  the  body 
sways  off  balance  to  the  left.  This  is  known 
as  "waisting,"  a  very  common  fault. 

I  wish  to  emphasize  particularly  the  neces- 
sity of  keeping  the  head  still  throughout  the 
swing.  It  should  remain  in  the  same  identical 
position  as  in  the  address.  A  common  tend- 
ency is  that  of  inclining  it  to  the  left.  You 
may  hardly  consider  this  enough  to  throw 
the  whole  body  off  balance.  But  it  will.  A 
man  can  sometimes  allow  his  eyes  to  wander 
from  the  ball  and  still  hit  it.  But  very  seldom 
can  he  connect  with  it  if  his  head  is  not  held 
rigid  all  the  time  from  the  address  until  the 
time  of  impact  (Figs.  48-49). 

This  is  one  of  the  basic  things  about  golf 
that  people  do  not  hear  enough  about.  ' '  Keep 

152 


THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  BALANCE 

your  eye  on  the  ball"  has  a  familiar  ring  to 
every  golfer's  ears.  And,  of  course,  it  is  very 
important.  Some  time  ago  a  prominent  golfer 
was  blindfolded  after  being  allowed  to  see  the 
position  of  the  ball.  Thereupon  he  proceeded 
to  drive  a  superb  shot.  He  couldn't  keep  his 
eye  on  the  ball,  but  he  had  to  keep  his  head 
still.  If  you  wish  to  play  good  golf,  remember 
these  four  words:  "Keep  your  head  still." 


153 


TALK  XI 
TAKE  CARE  OF  YOUR  HANDS 


155 


TALK  XI 

TAKE  CARE  OF  YOUR  HANDS 

THE  man  who  expects  to  play  a  good  round 
of  golf  must  first  of  all  be  in  prime  condition. 
This  applies  either  to  his  physical  or  mental 
make-up,  usually  a  combination  of  the  two. 
A  heavy  lunch  immediately  before  a  round, 
for  example,  is  not  conducive  to  the  best  play. 
Your  wits  must  be  keenly  alive  every  minute 
in  golf  and  if  you  feel  the  least  bit  loggy  it  is 
difficult  to  keep  them  so. 

Even  though  you  have  a  good  fund  of  energy, 
it  is  a  mistake  to  use  a  lot  of  it  in  getting  to 
the  links.  Now  and  then  a  pupil  who  has  an 
appointment  with  me  for  a  golf  lesson  finds 
that  he  is  a  minute  or  two  late  and  rushes  in  all 
out  of  breath.  As  a  matter  of  fact  I  would 
prefer  that  he  did  not  come  at  all  than  in  that 

157 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

condition.  He  will  be  in  no  shape  to  get  the 
most  out  of  the  lesson  until  he  has  rested  for  a 
time  and  become  normal  again. 

In  the  same  way,  it  is  a  mistake  to  rush 
through  a  round  of  golf,  as  though  you  were 
catching  the  last  train  home.  Many  a  man 
at  the  end  of  such  a  round  looks  as  though  he 
had  been  through  a  football  game.  It  is  safe 
to  say  that  his  game  has  suffered  more  than  he 
has.  Golf  is  a  game  in  which  there  is  no  inten- 
tion of  roughness  either  on  your  opponent  or 
yourself.  If  you  treat  yourself  the  least  bit 
roughly,  your  game  will  suffer  in  consequence. 

This  brings  us  to  the  care  of  the  hands. 
Few  people  realize  how  important  it  is  that  the 
hands  be  without  a  scratch  or  blemish.  Even 
a  ring  worn  on  your  finger  is  detrimental  to 
good  golf.  But  it  is  the  common  garden 
variety  of  blister  that  is  probably  the  most 
usual  offender  so  far  as  the  hands  are 
concerned. 

You  may  consider  a  blister  or  a  scratch  of 
small  importance.  In  a  football  game,  of 
course,  it  wouldn't  make  any  difference  with 

158 


TAKE  CARE  OF  YOUR  HANDS 

your  game.  But  you  must  remember  that 
golf  is  an  entirely  different  sort  of  sport. 
Here  is  a  game  so  keenly  mental  that  even  the 
rustling  of  a  piece  of  paper  may  turn  a 
prospective  long  drive  into  a  disappointing 
foozle.  What  then  of  the  worrisome  blister  on 
the  driving  hand?  Simply  that  it  is  practi- 
cally out  of  the  question  for  one  thoroughly 
to  concentrate  as  long  as  it  is  there.  And 
without  thorough  concentration  one  can  never 
hope  to  play  good  golf. 

Some  golfers  seem  to  be  a  bit  proud  of  a  row 
of  blisters.  They  are  nothing  to  be  proud  of. 
In  fact,  they  serve  only  as  one  of  the  best 
known  means  of  keeping  the  score  high. 
These  golfers  may  not  realize  it,  but  they  can 
hold  those  blisters  directly  responsible  for 
having  lost  them  a  good  many  holes.  Pro- 
bably nine  golfers  out  of  ten  fail  to  appreciate 
fully  just  how  highly  keyed  a  game  it  is  they 
are  playing. 

Even  a  single  small  blister  is  one  of  the 
greatest  of  handicaps  to  a  man's  game.  It 
doesn't  actually  have  to  give  you  pain  to  throw 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

your  game  off.  The  subconscious  thought  that 
it  is  there  is  often  enough.  Such  a  small  thing 
in  some  cases  can  be  more  disastrous  to  one's 
game  than  even  a  bad  case  of  indigestion. 

There  is  no  reason  in  the  world  why  a  golfer 
should  have  blisters.  If  he  realized  how  much 
they  harmed  his  game  he  wouldn't  grow  them 
in  the  first  place.  This  simply  represents 
taking  some  means  of  prevention.  In  other 
words,  wear  gloves.  At  any  rate,  wear  them 
until  your  hands  have  become  so  hardened 
that  they  can  fairly  well  take .  care  of  them- 
selves. Even  though  a  man  doesn't  keep 
them  on  all  season  he  should  in  all  cases  wear 
them  in  the  early  part  when  the  hands  are  soft. 

This  applies  equally  to  the  man  just  taking 
up  golf,  whenever  he  starts.  You  may  think 
that  the  hands  will  fail  to  become  hardened 
when  wearing  gloves.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
they  will  become  hardened  just  about  as  fast 
with  gloves  as  without  them.  The  only 
difference  is  that  in  one  case  they  will  come 
out  with  blisters  and  in  the  other  without. 
Some  men  don't  like  to  wear  gloves  playing 

1 60 


FIG.  52 

It   is    wholly    natural   golf    when    all 

muscles  of  the  body  from  toes  to  eyes 

move  together  in  one  direction 


161 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

golf  because  they  think  gloves  seem  effeminate. 
Of  course  such  talk  as  this  is  all  poppycock. 

The  manner  in  which  one  grips  the  club 
often  has  much  to  do  with  the  development  of 
blisters.  You  will  more  frequently  find  blis- 
ters on  the  hands  of  beginners  than  in  the  case 
of  men  who  have  played  golf  a  good  deal.  The 
reason  for  this  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  begin- 
ner, instead  of  relaxing  properly,  usually  grips 
the  club  as  though  it  were  the  proverbial  straw 
of  the  drowning  man. 

The  thickness  of  the  club  shaft  also  has 
something  to  do  with  this.  A  grip  of  narrow 
diameter  is  often  more  likely  to  give  one 
blisters  than  one  of  larger  diameter.  In  the 
case  where  the  thickness  is  not  so  great  one 
instinctively  grips  harder  to  get  a  purchase 
upon  the  club  (Fig.  53). 

So  much  for  blisters.  Now  for  trouble  that 
may  come  from  holding  the  left  hand  too  high 
up  the  shaft.  If  you  will  turn  your  left  hand 
upward  and  feel  along  the  side  of  the  palm  in 
line  with  the  left  hand's  small  forefinger  you 
may  or  may  not  find  a  little  soreness  there. 

162 


TAKE  CARE  OF  YOUR  HANDS 

If  you  fail  to  find  any  tender  spot  in  the  palm 
this  means  that  you  are  probably  in  the  habit 
of  gripping  the  club  with  your  left  hand  at 
about  the  right  position  on  the  shaft.  This 
proper  position  is  just  below  the  top  string 
binding  on  the  leather  (Fig.  16). 

However,  if  there  is  a  soreness  in  the  palm  it 
means  that  when  you  grip  the  club,  you  allow 
your  left  hand  to  wander  up  above  the  top  of 
the  shaft.  Any  one  who  does  this  is  letting 
himself  in  for  a  lot  of  trouble.  It  happens 
that  there  is.  a  very  delicate  bone  in  the  outer 
edge  of  the  palm.  If  the  top  of  the  shaft 
comes  into  contact  with  this,  the  bone  becomes 
very  much  irritated,  and  you  are  likely  to  have 
a  bad  siege  of  it.  I've  known  men  who  have 
been  out  of  the  game  entirely  for  six  months  at 
a  time  just  because  of  this.  So  be  sure  to  keep 
your  hand  below  the  top  string  binding. 

I  do  not  favor  the  overlapping  grip.  I  pre- 
fer the  natural  grip.  One  reason  for  this  is 
that  the  overlapping  is  likely  to  knock  a  man's 
hands  out  of  kilter.  In  the  overlapping  grip, 
the  small  finger  of  the  right  hand  comes  into 

163 


FIG.  53 

The  grip  of  this  club  shaft  is  of  generous  diam- 
eter.    One  is  not  tempted  to  grip  hard  in  order 
to  get  a  purchase 


164 


TAKE  CARE  OF  YOUR  HANDS 

contact  with  the  forefinger  of  the  left.  As  a 
result,  friction  is  set  up  and  very  often  you 
find  a  mean  sore  on  the  knuckle  of  this  left 
forefinger.  A  sore  of  this  sort  is  disconcerting 
to  one's  game.  If  you  attend  a  tournament 
you  will  probably  be  able  to  recognize  the 
men  who  use  the  overlapping  grip  by  rings  of 
tape  around  their  forefingers. 

Speaking  of  tape,  if  you  have  reason  to  use 
it,  you  might  as  well  use  it  right.  Many 
people  wind  a  piece  of  tape  around  a  sore  finger 
just  as  though  they  were  tying  up  a  bundle. 
If  you  wish  the  sore  to  heal — and  you  wouldn't 
bother  with  tape  at  all  if  you  didn't — treat  it 
decently.  Never  should  one  allow  the  sticky 
side  of  the  tape  to  come  into  contact  with  the 
sore.  Wind  first  with  the  smooth  side  next 
to  the  sore.  After  that  you  can  reverse  it  and 
wind  with  the  sticky  part  underneath. 


165 


TALK  XII 
TOPPING  THE  BALL 


167 


TALK   XII 

TOPPING   THE    BALL 

THE  faults  that  one  cannot  fathom  are  the 
ones  that  cause  all  the  trouble  in  golf.  There 
is  a  direct  reason  for  every  fault,  and  the  longer 
one  goes  on  in  blitheful  ignorance  of  what  this 
may  be,  the  more  difficult  does  good  golf 
become.  For  in  due  time  the  fault  becomes  a 
fixed  habit  and  nothing  is  harder  to  overcome 
than  habit.  However,  once  you  have  ana- 
lyzed matters  and  understand  the  exact  reason 
for  a  fault  you  can  proceed  to  mend  your 
golfing  ways.  From  then  on  you  are  on  the 
lookout  for  that  particular  fault  and  when  it 
crops  up  you  readily  recognize  it.  In  time 
you  overcome  it. 

One  of  the  most  common  faults  in  golf  is 
the  ancient  evil  of  topping  the  ball.  Of  course 

169 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

if  a  man's  swing  is  perfect  in  every  respect  he 
won't  top.  But  the  fact  remains  that  the 
result  is  often  disappointing  even  when  on 
the  surface  the  golfer  seems  to  be  in  perfect 
form.  In  such  cases,  he  probably  cannot 
figure  out  for  the  life  of  him  the  reason  for  it 
all.  Likely  enough  this  is  because  the  root  of 
the  evil  is  so  astonishingly  self-evident. 

As  an  example  of  this  we  will  take  the 
matter  of  keeping  the  eye  on  the  ball.  Per- 
haps the  golfer  who  has  just  topped,  on  being 
questioned  swears  that  he  has  kept  his  eye 
glued  upon  the  ball.  So  far  so  good.  But 
possibly  when  we  begin  to  inquire  about  the 
particular  part  of  the  ball  he  has  eyed,  the 
answer  brings  forth  the  cause  of  the  trouble. 
Likely  enough  it  has  been  the  top  of  the  ball. 

Right  here  is  where  it  pays  to  stop  and 
reason  things  out.  Reason  just  why  the  top 
of  the  ball  is  the  wrong  place  to  keep  the  eye 
and  the  side  is  the  right  place.  A  surprisingly 
large  number  of  golf  beginners  go  wrong  on 
this.  I  ask  a  great  many  of  my  new  pupils 
about  the  part  of  the  ball  upon  which  they 

170 


FIG.  54 

An  old  cure  for  looking  up  too  soon;  keeping  eyes 
fixed  on  spot  from  which  ball  has  flown.  Al- 
though unnatural,  there  is  no  harm  in  trying  it 
now  and  then  but  don't  allow  it  to  become  a  habit 


171 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

keep  their  eyes  and  in  many  cases  they  admit 
the  top.  Yet  this  is  obviously  quite  the 
unnatural  thing  to  do.  Let  us  reason  this  out. 

Say  a  man  is  driving  a  stake  into  the  ground 
with  a  sledge  while  another  man  has  his  hand 
around  the  stake  just  below  ..the  top  in  order 
to  steady  it.  If  it  happens  that  the  man 
wielding  the  sledge  is  unaccustomed  to  this 
work  it  is  quite  likely  that  his  thoughts  are 
centred  upon  the  other  fellow's  hand.  He  is 
afraid  he  will  hit  it. 

The  one  and  only  spot  where  his  thoughts 
and  eyes  should  be  centred  are  on  the  exact 
top  of  the  stake.  But  just  as  soon  as  his 
thoughts  wander  to  the  other  man's  hand,  his 
eyes  follow  suit.  So  does  the  sledge.  I  will 
leave  the  rest  to  your  imagination.  And 
doubtless  you  will  see  how  this  principle  may 
apply  just  as  aptly  in  keeping  the  eye  on  the 
exact  spot  where  you  wish  to  hit  the  golf  ball 
as  it  does  in  the  case  of  the  sledge. 

Another  misconception  among  beginners 
that  leads  to  topping  and  poor  golf  is  the  mat- 
ter of  contact  between  ball  and  club  head. 

172 


FIG.  55 

A  cure  for  topping.     Crumple  up  a  piece  of  paper 

and  lay  it  behind  the  ball.     Drive   the   paper. 

You  will  hit  the  ball  fair  and  square 


173 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

Very  often  I  ask  a  new  pupil  to  point  out 
on  the  club  head  the  spot  of  contact  with  the 
ball.  The  chances  are  that  he  puts  his  finger 
on  the  lower  edge  of  the  club  head.  Of  course 


FIG.  56 

Sometime,  examine  the  dotted  round  stamp  made 

by  the  concussion  of  the  ball.     It  is  nearly  as 

large  as  a  half-dollar  piece.     See  that  your  club 

head  is  large  enough  to  accommodate  it 

if  that  is  the  spot  where  he  has  his  mind  set 
upon  hitting  the  ball,  that  is  exactly  where  he 
will  hit  it.  And  the  natural  result  will  be 
either  a  topped  ball  or  a  very  short  one. 

As  I  have  said  in  a  previous  talk,  the  point 
174 


TOPPING  THE  BALL 


of  contact  should  be  directly  in  the  centre  of 
the  face  of  the  head.     When  I  explain  how  the 


FIG.  57 

The    wrong    way    to   finish   the  swing.     Shoulders 
should  be  on  same  plane  from  address  to  finish 


concussion  of  the  ball  acts  you  will  see  the 
reason  for  this.  Some  day  after  you  have 
made  a  particularly  good  shot,  examine  the 

175 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

face  of  the  club  head  carefully.  Then  you 
will  realize  just  what  the  concussion  of  the  ball 
means. 

The  markings  of  the  ball  still  remain  on  the 


FIG.  58 

The  address  of  a  mashie  shot.     Note  height  of 
shoulder  above,  and  in  the  photo  which  follows 


face.  These  are  in  the  form  of  a  dotted  round 
stamp  almost  as  large  as  a  half-dollar  piece. 
If  only  a  half  circle  is  stamped  on  the  face,  this 
means  an  imperfect  shot.  With  half  the  ball 
on  the  head  and  half  off  you  are  getting  only 

176 


TOPPING  THE  BALL 

about   half   the   distance   to   which   you   are 
entitled  (Fig.  56). 

The  greatest  amount  of  topping  is  due  to 
raising  the  body  up  during  the  course  of  the 


FIG.  59 

Finish  of  a  mashie  shot.     Shoulder  is  same  height 
as  at  address 


swing.  The  shoulders  should  be  on  exactly 
the  same  plane  from  the  address  to  the  finish 
of  the  swing.  But  it  often  takes  a  good  deal 
of  practice  before  a  man  can  accomplish  this. 
Raising  the  body  is  one  of  the  most  difficult 

177 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

things  in  golf  to  overcome.  Offhand  you 
might  say  that  it  would  be  one  of  the  easiest. 
You  must  remember,  however,  that  here  you 
have  a  habit  of  years  to  overcome.  A  man 
raises  up  instinctively.  That  is  the  way  he 
stands  and  walks;  even  though  he  be  in  any 
leaning  position  he  bounds  right  back  to 
straight  again  (Figs.  57-58-59)- 

In  the  golf  address  he  is  forced  to  lean  over 
to  connect  with  the  ball.  Just  as  soon  as  the 
club  swings  back  into  thin  air  he  often  uncon- 
sciously straightens  his  body.  The  result  on 
the  down  swing  is  a  topped  ball. 

On  the  other  hand,  he  may  go  from  straight 
to  the  other  extreme.  He  makes  an  effort  to 
lean  over  and  as  a  result  the  club  digs  up  the 
ground  before  reaching  the  ball.  It  is  import- 
ant that  one  keep  the  body  slightly  bent  all  the 
way  through  the  golf  swing,  right  from  address 
to  finish. 


178 


TALK  XIII 
OVERCOMING  FAULTS 


179 


TALK   XIII 

OVERCOMING    FAULTS 

AMONG  many  fond  memories  of  my  boyhood 
days  on  the  St.  Andrews  links  in  Scotland  was 
a  certain  old  General.  The  General  was  an 
enthusiastic  golfer,  but  at  the  same  time  he 
suffered  rather  more  than  his  allotted  share  of 
golfing  faults.  The  General  decided  that  he 
would  overcome  these  in  short  order  and  he 
proceeded  to  work  out  a  plan  all  his  own  for 
doing  so. 

He  got  four  celluloid  tags.  Then  he 
attached  two  of  these  to  the  uppers  of  his 
shoes.  The  other  two  were  fastened  on  the 
arms  of  his  coat  just  above  the  wrists.  On 
one  of  the  foot  tags  was  printed  "Keep  your 
eye  on  the  ball,"  on  the  other  "Don't  press." 
The  respective  arms'  tags  read,  "Follow 
through"  and  "Slow  back." 

181 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

Placarded  with  these  constant  reminders, 
the  General  started  forth  on  his  round  of  golf. 


FIG.  60 

A  cure  for  raising  up.     If  the  back  swing  is  cor- 
rect, the  space  between  head  and  horizontal  club 
will  remain  as  shown  in  address 


I  am  uncertain  as  to  whether  this  original 
scheme  helped  his  game;  it  seems  to  me  it 
must  have  proved  a  bit  disconcerting.  How- 

182 


FIG.  61 

See  preceding  photo.      The  above  is  what  often 

happens.     The  golfer  has  raised  up  and  knows  it 

when  head  meets  club 


183 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

ever  that  may  be,  the  General  had  the  right 
idea.  There  are  a  number  of  little  schemes, 
possibly  more  or  less  mechanical,  that  will 
notably  help  a  man's  game. 

I  have  spoken  recently  about  the  very  com- 
mon fault  of  topping  the  ball.  A  man's 
shoulder  should  be  on  the  same  plane,  his  head 
centred  in  the  same  position  at  the  top  of  the 
swing  as  they  have  been  at  the  address.  If 
they  are  not,  he  will  probably  top  the  ball  on 
the  down  swing.  A  very  usual  fault  is  that  of 
raising  the  body  and  allowing  the  head  to  drop 
toward  the  left  shoulder  as  one  approaches  the 
top  of  the  swing  (Fig.  48). 

The  golfer  is  seldom  conscious  of  the  fact 
that  he  raises  his  body,  but  it  is  easy  enough 
to  show  him  proof  of  it.  If  you  are  inclined 
this  way,  get  a  friend  to  stand  at  your  left  side 
and  hold  a  golf  club  horizontally  a  few  inches 
above  your  head  at  the  address.  Then  go 
through  a  practice  swing  (Fig.  60). 

Before  going  far  you  will  probably  have  a 
sensation  that  some  one  has  banged  you  on  the 
top  of  the  head.  This  is  your  friend's  club  of 

184 


The  body  should  pivot  on  a  dead  centre  through- 
out the  entire  swing.  Club  held  vertically  in 
photo  represents  centre  line  at  address.  The 
golfer  has  swayed  to  the  right  and  is  off  balance 


185 


FIG.  63 

In  this  case  the  golfer  has  pivoted  on  a   dead 
centre  as  noted  by  position  of  club  to  the  rear 


1 86 


course.  It  has  remained  motionless;  it  is  you 
who  have  risen  to  meet  it  (Fig.  61).  After  a 
little  practice  you  will  find  that  you  are  reach- 
ing the  top  of  the  swing  without  encountering 
the  club. 

Another  scheme  of  the  same  sort,  one 
whereby  you  can  practice  by  yourself,  is  that 
of  using  a  bell.  Tie  a  string  to  a  bell  and  hang 
it  from  the  limb  of  a  convenient  tree  so  that  it 
dangles  within  a  few  inches  of  the  top  of  your 
head  at  the  address.  On  raising  up,  you  ring 
the  bell. 

Practising  before  a  mirror  is  a  great  help. 
There's  nothing  like  seeing  yourself  as  others 
see  you.  With  a  mirror  before  you  it  is 
possible  to  stop  at  any  stage  of  the  swing  and 
look  yourself  carefully  over  to  see  if  every- 
thing is  as  it  should  be.  At  the  top  of  the 
swing  especially,  it  is  wise  to  stop  dead  and 
notice  whether  you  are  properly  balanced. 
Note  carefully  the  position  of  the  head  and 
body  at  the  address,  and  then  see  whether  the 
position  at  the  top  of  the  swing  corresponds 
with  it  properly. 

187 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

I  always  use  a  mirror  in  my  instruction 
work.  It  is  much  more  effective  actually  to 
show  a  man  a  living  likeness  of  himself  off 
centre  and  off  balance  than  merely  tell  him 
about  it.  With  the  pupil  facing  the  mirror 
at  the  address  I  often  stand  behind  him  and 
hold  a  golf  club  in  front  of  me  in  a  vertical 
position.  This  position  represents  the  line  of 
centre  balance  (Fig.  62). 

At  the  address,  most  of  the  club  cannot  be 
seen  in  the  mirror.  By  the  time  the  top  of  the 
swing  has  been  reached,  however,  it  may  be 
in  full  view.  The  rigid  club  still  remains  in 
the  proper  position  for  the  centre  of  balance, 
but  the  actual  balance  of  the  pupil  has  gone 
strangely  askew.  After  due  practice,  how- 
ever, the  pupil's  head,  body,  and  my  golf 
club  become  one  (Fig.  63) . 

Another  good  idea  is  to  have  somebody 
take  a  few  snap-shots  of  you  during  various 
stages  of  your  play.  After  the  films  have 
been  developed  you  will  probably  find  that 
you  play  a  whole  lot  differently  from  what 
you  thought  you  did.  Compare  the  photos  of 

1 88 


FIG.  64 

If  heeling  the  ball  is  your  fault,  try  addressing  it 
with  the  toe  of  the  club 


189 


FIG.  65 

Turning  the  club  head  is  a  common  way  to  spoil 

a  mashie  shot.     Club  shown  at  the  right  has  a 

turned  face;  that  to  the  left  is  correct 


190 


OVERCOMING  FAULTS 

yourself  with  those  of  a  prominent  golfer  like 
Vardon  and  note  well  just  where  the  difference 
lies. 

Many  faults  can  be  cured  by  exaggeration. 
By  going  to  the  opposite  extreme  one  often 
actually  strikes  a  happy  mean.  For  example, 
if  one  is  slicing  badly  he  may  very  well  find 
that  by  making  an  effort  to  pull  the  ball  he 
overcomes  the  slicing  and  instead  of  pulling 
really  drives  the  ball  straight  down  the  course. 

In  much  the  same  way  if  one  finds  himself 
continually  hitting  the  ball  with  the  heel  of 
the  club,  it  is  wise  to  go  to  the  other  extreme 
and  address  it  with  the  toe  (Fig.  64). 

Or  take  the  matter  of  topping.  Roll  up  a 
small  piece  of  paper  and  lay  it  on  the  ground 
directly  behind  the  ball.  Then  instead  of 
playing  the  ball,  play  that  piece  of  paper. 
You  will  probably  hit  the  ball  fair  and  square 
(Fig.  55). 


191 


TALK  XIV 
KEEPING  THE  MUSCLES  IN  HARMONY 


193 


TALK   XIV 

KEEPING   THE  MUSCLES    IN    HARMONY 

THERE  is  a  notable  difference  between  wise 
effort  on  the  one  hand  and  violent  energy  on 
the  other.  The  first  represents  head  work,  the 
second  usually  lack  thereof.  This  is  essenti- 
ally true  of  golf.  In  golf  we  find  a  game  of 
effort,  and  whether  this  means  wise  or  wasted 
effort  depends  upon  the  player.  When  you 
see  an  accomplished  golfer  drive  a  ball  you 
will  be  likely  to  say  that  there  is  a  complete 
absence  of  effort  of  any  kind.  Yet  the  fact 
remains  that  practically  every  ounce  of 
strength  in  his  body  is  behind  that  shot. 
Therein  lies  the  secret  of  good  golf;  the  ability 
to  expend  effort  without  being  conscious  of  the 
fact.  The  good  player  seldom  realizes  the 
great  power  he  is  putting  into  a  stroke. 

195 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

The  greater  part  of  this  strength  comes 
from  the  thighs,  back,  and  shoulders.  The 
wrists,  hands,  and  arms  appear  to  do  most  of 
the  work,  yet  as  a  matter  of  fact  they  represent 
but  a  small  part  of  the  real  power.  These 
are  simply  the  propelling  power.  Practically 
all  muscles  in  the  body  have  certain  allotted 
work  to  perform  in  the  golf  stroke.  And  if 
each  set  is  to  function  properly  there  must  be  a 
just  distribution  of  work.  This  means  proper 
bodily  balance  from  beginning  to  end  of  the 
golf  swing. 

All  the  muscles  of  the  body  should  work  in 
perfect  harmony.  And  perfect  body  balance 
is  the  direct  result  of  muscles  that  are  in 
harmony.  Suppose  your  balance  is  correct  at 
the  address  and  remains  so  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  back  swing.  This  means  that  the 
muscles  are  functioning  as  they  should. 

Then  suppose  that  things  suddenly  occur 
which  throw  you  off  balance;  your  left  leg 
may  crumple  up  so  that  you  are  left  nothing 
to  stand  on  or  perhaps  your  head  drops  toward 
the  left  shoulder.  The  result  is  that  your 

196 


KEEPING  THE  MUSCLES  IN  HARMONY 

body  is  now  made  up  of  a  number  of  sets  of 
muscles  in  active  conflict  with  each  other. 
The  power  of  the  muscles  has  become  neutral- 
ized and  the  result  is  wasted  effort  (Fig.  66). 

The  beginner  struggling  in  the  throes  of  the 
problem  of  just  what  constitutes  proper  bodily 
balance  may  perhaps  accuse  the  muscles  of 
being  ignorant  of  the  work  they  are  supposed 
to  perform.  Doubtless  they  are  in  cases 
where  a  goodly  number  of  golf  faults  have 
become  a  habit.  However,  education  and 
practice  will  set  them  right;  in  which  case  it 
will  be  a  question  of  educating  these  muscles 
from  the  unnatural  to  that  which  is  the  per- 
fectly natural. 

Even  a  man  who  does  not  know  golf  can 
recognize  the  proper  balance  of  the  body  when 
he  sees  it.  In  this  connection  I  once  had  an 
interesting  experience  with  Moretti,  the  sculp- 
tor. Moretti  wished  to  make  a  statue  of  a 
golfer,  but  not  knowing  the  slightest  thing 
about  the  game  he  came  to  me  for  some 
information  as  to  just  how  a  golfer  looks  in 
action. 

197 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

There  happened  to  be  a  golf  beginner  stand- 
ing close  by  with  a  club  in  his  hand,  and  this 
man  was  asked  to  go  through  the  swing.  He 
did  as  requested,  and  finished  his  back  swing 
with  his  body  considerably  off  balance.  Mor- 
etti  shook  his  head ;  he  instinctively  knew  that 
this  wasn't  right.  Then  he  turned  to  me  and 
asked  me  to  go  through  the  swing.  I  did  so, 
and  as  I  swung  to  the  right  he  impetuously 
jumped  forward  and  grabbed  me  saying: 

"Hold  that.     It  is  superb." 

Muscles  may  be  just  as  much  in  conflict 
when  relaxed  as  when  tense.  Indeed  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  golf  swing  they  should 
be  relaxed.  There  is  only  one  time  when  their 
full  strength  is  called  for  and  that  is  in  hitting 
the  ball.  There  are  many  possibilities  for 
wasted  energy  during  the  course  of  the  swing. 

Take,  for  example,  the  death  grip  which 
many  beginners  take  on  the  club ;  this  is  wholly 
wasted  effort.  Indeed,  some  golfers  expend 
such  a  great  amount  of  energy  on  the  back 
swing  that  by  the  time  the  club  reaches 
the  ball,  the  over-taxed  muscles  have  little 

198 


FIG.  66 

Showing  a  number  of  golfing  faults.     Several  dif- 
ferent sets  of  muscles  in  the  body  are  in  active 
conflict  with  each  other 


199 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

strength  left  to  offer.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
back  swing  should  be  a  period  of  relaxation. 
It  is  simply  winding  up  the  body.  This  may 
be  compared  to  winding  up  a  piece  of  string, 
the  down  swing  representing  the  release. 

Likewise,  irrespective  of  whether  muscles 
are  tense  or  relaxed,  they  are  working  just  the 
same.  And  this  brings  us  to  the  very  common 
fault  of  mistiming.  Let  us  suppose  that  you 
are  addressing  the  ball,  ready  for  a  full  golf 
swing.  Just  stop  and  imagine  that  the  pro- 
spective swing  is  a  wheel ;  with  the  usual  rim, 
spokes,  and  hub.  The  club  head  represents 
the  rim,  the  shaft  is  a  spoke,  and  the  hub 
your  body.  The  action  of  both  the  back  and 
forward  swing  should  be  that  of  a  spinning 
wheel  (Figs.  67-68). 

Clearly  enough  the  rim  of  this  wheel  has  to 
travel  faster  than  does  the  hub.  But  even 
though  the  hub  does  travel  more  slowly  it  has 
to  spin  around  with  it.  The  two  must  spin 
around  with  it.  The  two  must  spin  in  har- 
mony. And  exactly  this  same  principle 
applies  to  golf.  Suppose,  for  example,  that 

200 


KEEPING  THE  MUSCLES  IN  HARMONY 

by  the  time  the  club  is  half-way  back,  the  left 
heel  still  remains  solidly  upon  the  ground. 


PIG.  67 

A  demonstration  of  the  common  fault  of  mistim- 
ing.    The  hub  and  rim  of  the  wheel  fail  to  travel 
together 


This  means  that  the  muscles  are  not  function- 
ing as  they  should  and  a  conflict  between  them 
has  started.  A  harmonious  spin  of  the  rim 
and  hub  would  bring  the  heel  off  the  ground. 

201 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

In  the  same  way,  if  at  this  stage  of  the 
swing,  the  shoulders  have  not  followed  the  rim 
to  the  right,  this  also  means  mistiming.  The 


FIG.  68 

Correct  timing.      The  hub  and  rim  spin  in  harmony 

body  has  an  important  part  to  play  in  the  golf 
stroke  and  it  should  not  be  allowed  to  lag 
behind  the  arms.  This  is  a  rather  common 
tendency,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  arms  are  the 
faster  moving  parts.  On  the  other  hand,  the 

202 


KEEPING  THE  MUSCLES  IN  HARMONY 

right  shoulder  should  not  beat  the  arms  around. 
The  hub  and  the  rim  should  work  in  constant 
unison  from  the  address  to  the  finish  of  the 
swing. 


203 


TALK  XV 
SLICING  AND  HOOKING 


205 


TALK  XV 

SLICING  AND   HOOKING 

FORTUNATE  is  the  golfer  who  has  never 
learned  the  meaning  of  slicing  and  hooking 
the  ball.  The  average  golfer  is  quite  satisfied 
with  the  world  in  general  when  he  sees  the  ball 
travel  straight  down  the  course  in  an  undevi- 
ating  line,  for  that  is  the  result  he  has  played 
for.  If,  however,  the  ball  sheers  off  to  the 
right  or  left,  gloom  settles  down  upon  him,  and 
he  knows  by  either  token  that  his  swing  has 
not  been  faultless.  Something  has  gone 
wrong,  although  he  is  probably  at  sea  as  to 
just  what  this  may  have  been. 

Of  course  a  slice  or  hook  may  be  either 
intentional  or  unintentional.  An  accom- 
plished golfer  in  order  to  drop  the  ball  in  a 
certain  spot  will  often  intentionally  play  a  slice 

207 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

or  hook.     And  when  a  man   knows  exactly 
what  he  is  doing,  and  the  precise  manner  of 


FIG.  69 

A  grip  that  will  slice  the  ball 

getting  this  desired  result,  hooking  and  slicing 
cannot  be  classed  as  evils. 

The  fact  remains,  however,  that  with  the 
average  golfer  slicing  and  hooking  are  distinct 
evils,  and  they  remain  such  just  so  long  as  they 

208 


SLICING  AND  HOOKING 

pop  up  when  not  wanted.     As  a  matter  of  fact, 
neither  slicing  nor  hooking  have  any  place  in 


FIG.  70 

A  grip  that  will  hook  the  ball 

the  entirely  natural  game  of  golf.  If  one 
sticks  strictly  to  the  game  as  nature  intends  it 
should  be  played,  you  will  not  do  either  of 
these. 

If  you  know  the  reasons  for  certain  faults  in 
,4  209 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

golf  it  is  fairly  easy  to  overcome  them.  The 
faults  that  play  all  the  havoc  are  those  which 
you  cannot  find  the  reasons  for,  with  the  result 


FIG.  71 

The  slicer's  left-hand  grip 


that  you  keep  on  with  them  and  they  become 
more  and  more  of  a  habit  and  just  so  much 
more  difficult  to  break  in  the  end.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  you  know  that  a  certain  definite 


210 


SLICING  AND  HOOKING 

action  will  bring  about  a  certain  result  and 
have  the  whole  thing  clearly  in  mind,  you  can 
intentionally  bring  these  actions  in  play  now 


FIG.  72 

The  puller's  left-hand  grip 

and  then  as  you  wish  without  the  disadvan- 
tage of  making  them  a  habit.  Slicing  and 
hooking  are  excellent  examples  of  what  I 
mean. 

211 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

Among  the  most  common  reasons  for  slicing 
is  that  of  rolling  the  forearms  too  soon.  This 
is  sometimes  incorrectly  referred  to  as  turning 
the  wrists.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  not  the 
wrists  that  turn;  it  is  the  forearms.  A  great 
many  beginners  are  erroneously  taught  to  roll 
the  forearms  too  soon  and  this  is  one  reason 
why  slicing  is  so  general  (Figs.  27-28). 

Remember  that  in  swinging  back  and  then 
down  upon  the  ball  you  want  to  make  as  large 
an  arc  as  is  conveniently  possible.  In  the 
back  swing  the  club  should  travel  directly 
back  from  the  ball  for  some  distance  instead  of 
being  lifted  up  from  the  line  of  flight.  In 
hitting  any  object,  the  natural  thing  is  to  start 
directly  away  from  it. 

In  the  case  of  the  back  swing  in  golf,  the 
forearms  of  course  roll  naturally  of  their  own 
accord,  but  if  you  will  examine  the  point  at 
which  they  start  rolling  during  the  course 
of  a  perfect  swing,  you  will  find  that  it  is 
farther  back  than  you  probably  supposed. 
Take  Vardon's  swing  for  example.  Vardon's 
club  travels  back  about  a  yard  before  percep- 

212 


FIG.  73 

Finish  of  a  slice 


213 


FIG.  74 

Finish  of  a  hook 


214 


SLICING  AND  HOOKING 

tibly  leaving  the  line  of  flight.  Likewise,  it  is 
not  until  then  that  the  forearms  begin  rolling 
over  to  any  extent. 

Both  slicing  and  hooking  may  come  from 
the  manner  in  which  you  grip  the  club.  In 
the  case  of  the  chronic  sheer's  grip,  the  face 
of  the  club  turns  upward  at  the  time  of  impact 
with  the  ball.  The  fault  in  this  instance  is 
usually  with  the  left  hand;  the  fingers  of  this 
hand  are  in  plain  view  when  in  reality  they 
should  be  just  hidden.  With  the  chronic 
hooker,  however,  the  left  hand  is  turned  to 
the  opposite  extreme,  while  the  fingers  of  the 
right  hand  are  too  much  in  view  (Figs.  69-70- 
71-72).  Half-way  between  these  two  ex- 
tremes is  the  correct  grip. 

Slicing  is  often  associated  with  hitting  the 
ball  with  the  heel  of  the  club.  When  you 
find  yourself  heeling,  you  instinctively  draw 
the  club  toward  you  and  a  slice  is  the  natural 
result.  In  this  matter  of  heeling  you  have 
combating  you  both  the  centrifugal  force 
carrying  the  club  head  outward  and  the  fact 
that  your  arms  naturally  try  to  straighten  at 

215 


FIG.  75 

The  way  to  finish  without  slicing  or  hooking 


216 


SLICING  AND  HOOKING 

the  moment  of  impact.     It  is  wise  to  make 
allowances  for  these. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  this  centrifugal  force 
will  pretty  well  take  care  of  itself  if  you  will 
simply  address  the  ball  with  the  toe  of  the 
club.  As  a  result  of  this  you  will  be  likely  to 
hit  the  ball  exactly  in  the  centre  of  the  club. 


217 


TALK  XVI 
METHODS  OF  CURING  FAULTS 


219 


TALK   XVI 

METHODS   OF    CURING   FAULTS 

THE  acquiring  of  a  perfect  golf  swing  may 
be  a  long  and  painstaking  process.  And  then 
just  when  you  think  you  have  it  mastered, 
some  single  obtrusive  fault  may  come  up  that 
spoils  it  all.  If  any  one  part  of  the  golf  swing 
goes  wrong,  the  whole  structure  is  likely  to 
topple  down  like  a  ton  of  bricks.  The  cure 
is  to  recognize  and  then  overcome  the  faults 
as  they  appear.  And  so  long  as  you  do  recog- 
nize them,  the  cure  is  usually  more  simple 
than  appears  at  first  sight.  I  will  enumerate 
a  few. 

In  a  previous  talk  upon  the  subject  of  slic- 
ing, I  have  said  that  this  common  evil  is  often 
associated  with  heeling  the  ball.  And  heeling 
can  be  very  easily  overcome.  The  reason 

221 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

for  hitting  the  ball  with  the  heel  of  the  club  is 
for  the  most  part  the  centrifugal  force  which 
carries  the  club  head  outward  during  the 
course  of  the  swing. 

I  will  explain  this  more  fully.  The  club 
head  on  the  down  swing  should  follow  exactly 
the  same  path  that  it  has  taken  to  the  top  of 
the  swing.  However,  there  is  a  considerable 
amount  of  weight  to  the  club  head,  and  in 
sweeping  down  fast  from  the  top  of  the  swing, 
this  generates  centrifugal  force  which  does  its 
best  to  take  the  club  head  through  a  path 
outside  of  the  one  traversed  in  the  up  swing. 
If  this  force  is  strong  enough  to  amount  to 
anything  the  result  is  that  you  hit  the  ball 
with  the  heel  of  the  club  head. 

If  you  are  heeling  the  ball  to  any  extent  I 
would  advise  as  a  cure  that  you  change  your 
tactics  in  addressing  the  ball.  Instead  of 
addressing  with  the  middle  of  the  striking  face 
of  the  club  head,  address  with  the  toe  of  the 
club.  At  the  same  time  make  up  your  mind 
that  when  the  moment  of  impact  comes  it  will 
be  the  toe  that  connects  with  the  ball.  You 

222 


FIG.  76 

A  cure  for  heeling.      Drive  the  near   ball   without 
disturbing  the  other 


223 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

may  be  surprised  to  find  that  the  part  of  the 
club  head  with  which  the  ball  actually  connects 
is  usually  the  exact  centre,  and  the  result  is  a 
fine,  straight  ball  (Fig.  64). 

If  addressing  the  ball  with  the  toe  of  the 
club  doesn't  cure  your  heeling,  try  another 
method.  Go  off  by  yourself  to  some  corner  of 
the  links  and  do  a  little  practising.  Place 
two  balls  on  the  ground  before  you,  these  three 
or  four  inches  apart.  The  ball  nearest  to  you 
is  the  one  which  you  intend  to  play.  Proceed 
to  drive  it  down  the  course  without  taking 
into  account  the  other  ball.  If  there  is  any 
great  amount  of  centrifugal  force  generated 
in  your  down  swing,  what  really  happens  is  that 
you  hit  both  balls  at  once  (Fig.  76) . 

The  thing  for  you  to  do  next  is  to  make  up 
your  mind  that  you  will  drive  the  near  ball 
without  disturbing  the  other.  This  is  excep- 
tionally good  practice  and  after  a  certain 
number  of  tries  the  far  ball  won't  bother  you 
in  the  least.  All  of  which  means  that  you  are 
being  cured  of  heeling. 

Another  common  tendency  among  golf 
224 


FIG.  77 

Keeping  down  the  elbow  by  the  aid  of  a  handker- 
chief in  the  armpit 


225 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

beginners  is  that  of  raising  the  right  elbow  as 
the  club  travels  to  the  top  of  the  swing.  This 
is  awkward  and  throws  one  quite  off  balance. 
Sometimes  you  see  a  golfer  with  his  right 
elbow  raised  in  the  air  almost  on  a  line  with 
the  shoulders.  Keep  the  elbow  down,  perhaps 
not  rigid  against  the  side  but  very  nearly  so. 
If  you  find  that  the  elbow  persists  in  raising 
up,  take  out  your  handkerchief,  poke  it 
between  your  upper  right  arm  and  side  of  the 
body,  under  the  arm  pit  and  address  the  ball. 
Then  make  up  your  mind  that  you  will  go 
through  the  golf  swing  without  allowing  the 
handkerchief  to  drop  to  the  ground.  This  is 
entirely  possible.  Of  course  in  the  ordinary 
swing,  your  arm  would  not  be  as  rigidly 
against  your  side  as  in  this  case.  At  the  same 
time,  this  handkerchief  stunt  is  very  good 
practice,  and  will  get  you  into  the  habit  of 
keeping  the  right  elbow  down  (Fig.  77) . 

I  will  now  offer  a  little  suggestion  for  the 
man  who  is  not  following  through  properly 
with  his  iron  shots.  Lay  two  balls  on  the 
ground,  a  few  inches  apart,  both  in  the  line  of 

226 


FIG.  78 

Hit  both  balls  on  the  same  shot.      This  will  make 
you  follow  through 

227 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

flight.  Then  take  your  mashie  and  make  up 
your  mind  that  you  are  going  to  send  both 
those  balls  down  the  course  on  the  same  shot 
(Fig.  78). 

It  may  not  look  possible  at  first  sight  but  as 
a  matter  of  fact  it  is  entirely  so.  Common 
faults  in  playing  iron  shots  are  to  turn  over 
the  striking  face  of  the  club  and  also  not  allow 
the  club  head  to  continue  its  allotted  distance 
in  the  line  of  flight  after  the  ball  has  been  hit. 

An  analysis  of  the  problem  of  hitting  the 
two  balls  on  the  same  shot  makes  it  clear  that 
to  be  successful  you  will  have  to  keep  your 
club  well  down  in  the  line  of  flight  and  not  let 
it  sheer  up  and  off  to  the  left.  You  put  your 
reasoning  into  execution  with  the  result  that 
you  get  both  balls,  and  at  the  same  time  learn 
the  feel  of  a  perfect  follow  through.  This  is 
very  good  practice. 


228 


TALK  XVII 
THIS  BRINGS  US  TO  PUTTING 


229 


TALK  XVII 

THIS    BRINGS   US    TO    PUTTING 

I  HAVE  said  that  certain  movements  in  the 
game  of  golf  are  fundamental.  And  these 
comprise  about  nine- tenths  of  the  game. 
There  is  only  one  correct  swing,  however,  and 
if  you  deviate  from  that  in  any  way  you  will 
not  play  good  golf. 

In  a  general  way,  golf  may  be  divided  into 
essentials  and  non-essentials.  More  or  less 
is  said,  to  be  sure,  about  the  difference  in 
golfing  form  among  various  leading  players, 
but  you  will  find  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  there 
is  really  very  little  difference.  When  it  comes 
to  fundamentals,  the  form  of  all  the  best  play- 
ers is  practically  the  same.  I  have  said  this 
before  in  our  talks  but  it  is  a  point  which  will 
stand  plenty  of  repetition. 

231 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

It  is  in  the  non-essentials  that  these  men 
differ.  The  golf  grip  is  one  example  of  this. 
One  man  uses  the  overlapping  grip,  another 
the  natural  grip.  And  likely  enough  both  of 
these  men  play  excellent  golf.  Although  I 
personally  consider  the  natural  grip  the  better 
of  the  two,  the  truth  of  the  matter  is  that  the 
style  of  grip  does  not  matter  greatly  and  this 
because  it  is  one  of  the  non-essentials  of 
golf. 

You  will  find  on  the  other  hand  that  the 
best  players  are  one  as  regards  what  con- 
stitutes the  best  swing.  They  may  not  say 
so,  but  if  you  will  make  a  close  study  of  their 
respective  swings  you  will  find  this  true. 

This  brings  us  to  putting.  Here  again  you 
find  a  wide  divergence  of  form  among  various 
players.  One  man  putts  in  one  way,  another 
in  a  totally  different  manner.  And  both  get 
results.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  form  in 
putting  is  a  non-essential.  Strictly  speaking  it 
is  not  golf  form  at  all.  One  may  even  go 
through  some  entirely  unnatural  movements 
in  putting  and  still  be  successful,  although  of 

232 


PIG.  79 

Good  putting  practice.     Lay  about  a  half  dozen 
balls  around  the  cup 


233 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

course  it  is  always  best  to  stand  as  naturally 
as  possible. 

As  one  example  of  th3  manner  in  which 
putting  may  differ  from  the  long  game,  take 
the  matter  of  following  the  ball  with  your  eyes. 
After  starting  the  ball  upon  a  long  drive,  the 
entirely  natural  and  therefore  correct  thing  to 
do  is  to  look  up  and  follow  its  long  flight  with 
your  eyes.  In  putting,  on  the  other  hand,  one 
can  often  get  the  best  results  by  using  his  ears 
instead  of  his  eyes,  and  in  this  way;  after 
hitting  the  ball  keep  your  eyes  glued  upon  the 
spot  where  the  ball  has  rested  and  do  not 
take  them  away  until  you  hear  the  ball  clink- 
ing into  the  cup — or  not  clinking,  as  the  case 
may  be. 

This  tip  is  by  no  means  a  panacea  and  with 
some  players  it  is  fatal  as  it  means  concen- 
trating on  an  unnatural  thing.  The  instinct 
is  to  watch  results.  Many  do  this  too  soon,  so 
that  to  look  at  the  place  the  ball  left  is  good 
discipline  for  those  who  look  forward  too  soon. 
It  need  not  be  adhered  to  permanently. 

Another  essential  is  this :  before  playing  the 
234 


Military  stance.      Heels  together,  legs  straight, 

toes  parallel  with  line  of  hole,  and  head  directly 

over  ball 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

ball,  your  eye  must  be  on  the  exact  spot  where 
the  club  head  will  meet  it.  A  common  mis- 
take is  that  of  eyeing  the  top  of  the  ball.  But 
the  most  important  essential  of  all  is  a  feeling 
of  perfect  confidence  that  you  will  sink  the 
ball  in  the  cup,  for  a  short  putt  or  lay  it  dead 
in  a  long  one  and  also  perhaps,  the  ability 
to  take  it  all  in  good  humor  if  by  any  chance 
you  fail  to  do  so. 

Confidence  of  course  is  in  more  or  less  direct 
proportion  to  possibility,  and  for  this  reason 
a  man  cannot  tackle  a  single  difficult  long 
putt  with  the  same  degree  of  confidence  that 
he  can  when  this  distance  is  divided  into  two 
putts.  And  when  a  man  plays  for  two  putts 
in  this  way  there  is  always  a  chance  that  he 
may  make  it  in  one  after  all. 

A  great  deal  of  practice  in  putting  is  quite 
essential  and  one  of  the  best  suggestions  I  can 
offer  is  this:  find  a  deserted  green  and  lay 
about  a  half  dozen  balls  in  a  horseshoe  around 
the  cup,  about  three  or  four  feet  from  its 
centre.  Then  practise  your  approach  shots 
from  the  edge  of  the  green.  But  instead  of 

236 


FIG.  81 

Orthodox   stance.     Right  foot  is  advanced,  right 

shoulder    depressed    and    greater    part    of    body 

weight  is  on  the  right  leg 


237 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

playing  to  sink  the  ball  into  the  cup,  play  to 
land  just  inside  the  circle  of  balls  surrounding 
it  (Fig.  79). 

There  are  several  different  kinds  of  stances 
used  in  putting.  One  of  these  is  known  as  the 
military  stance.  In  this  case,  the  heels  are 
together,  the  legs  straight,  toes  are  parallel 
with  line  of  the  hole,  and  the  head  of  the  player 
is  directly  over  the  ball  (Fig.  80).  Another 
method  is  the  orthodox  stance.  Here  the  right 
foot  is  advanced,  the  right  shoulder  depressed 
and  most  of  the  weight  of  the  body  is  on  the 
right  leg  (Fig.  8 1). 

A  third  method  is  the  crouching  stance. 
This  is  much  like  the  orthodox  stance  except 
that  in  this  case  the  right  arm  rests  on  the  leg 
and  the  club  is  held  short  (Fig.  82).  Any  of 
these  can  be  used  and  perhaps  even  with  vari- 
ations, but  in  any  case  your  position  must  feel 
natural  and  easy. 

Last,  but  not  always  least,  the  condition  of 
one's  eyes  may  have  much  to  do  with  effective 
putting.  In  the  majority  of  cases  the  master 
eye  is  the  right  eye.  This  means  that  you  can 

238 


FIG.  82 

Crouching  stance.     Much  like  orthodox  stance, 

except  that  right  arm  rests  on  leg  and  club  is 

held  short. 


239 


INTIMATE  GOLF  TALKS 

see  more  effectively  and  in  a  straighter 
with  this  eye  than  you  can  with  the  left. 
vision    of    the    master    eye    must    not    be 
obstructed  in  any  way. 

The  stance  whereby  you  bend  down  on  the 
right  knee  may  be  well  enough  if  your  right 
eye  is  the  master.  But  if  your  left  is  the 
master  eye,  the  vision  is  likely  to  be  some- 
what obstructed  in  this  position,  and  you 
would  do  well  to  change  it  to  suit,  viz.  both 
eyes  equal  distance  from  the  ball. 


240 


A  Selection  from  the 
Catalogue  of 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S   SONS 


Complete   Catalogues  sent 
on  application 


"The  best  writer  on  any  Card  Game" 

Master-Auction 

Auction  for  Those  Who  Know  It 

By 
Florence  Irwin 

Author  of  "The  Complete  Auction  Player,"  etc. 

If  you  do  not  know  how  to  play  Auction, 
this  is  not  the  book  for  you. 

If  you  know  the  rudiments  and  the  rou- 
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to  know  more,  again  this  is  not  the 
book  for  you. 

But,  if  you,  being  a  player  of  any  grade 
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er to  perfection,  in  keeping  pace  with 
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pretty  points, 

Then,  this  is  the  exact  book  for  you. 

253  Pages,     90  Diagrams 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  London 


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